Former DLI and NPS employee is sentenced to 10 months in prison for embezzling from the U.S. government.

A former member of the military and then civilian employee for the U.S. Department of Defense has been sentenced to 10 months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release after she pleaded no contest to charges of fraud and theft of government property.

The case stems from the years 2010-19 when Zelene Charles of East Garrison worked as a civilian employee for the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, where she managed purchasing of various supplies, including computers, tablets and related technological accessories. 

Federal prosecutors laid out a case against Charles for creating fake invoices appearing to buy items for the Department of Defense that were never actually purchased. After leaving DLI, Charles went on to work for the Naval Postgraduate School, also in Monterey. 

When federal agents served a warrant on her home on Sept. 21, 2023, Charles wrote in court papers that it marked a new chapter in which she no longer had to keep her wrongdoing a secret. “I no longer had to hide from this secret I was carrying. I know that if I want to live a blessed life, I must confront my past and right my wrongs.”

Prosecutors pushed for a prison sentence of 27 months, while Charles and her attorney, Diane Bass, argued for probation only, with no prison time. 

On March 3, Judge Edward Davila sentenced Charles to 10 months in prison. 

She was also sentenced to pay $630,628 in restitution. She has been ordered to self-surrender on April 17 to begin serving the sentence. Her attorney did not respond to a request for comment.