Visalia Police Captain Luma Fahoum was recently arrested and charged with embezzlement from the department – but court records show she faced financial trouble for more than two decades.
Court records show collections agencies and financial institutions filing collections suits against Fahoum since 2000, but she was placed in a position to allegedly steal almost $50,000 from the Visalia Police Department’s Explorers program between 2017 and 2023, according to charges by the Tulare County District Attorney’s office.
Fahoum continued to rise in the ranks of the Visalia Police Department all the while, achieving the rank of Captain in 2021.
Tulare County Superior Court records show Fahoum had six lawsuits filed against her demanding payment:
- LVNV Funding LLC, a collection agency, filed a case demanding $9,264.57 on 08/21/2023. Fahoum paid it off in February of this year.
- LVNV Funding LLC filed their first case against Farhoum demanding $1843.12 on 12/14/2021. She paid it off September of 2022.
- Sequoia Check Collections filed their case demanding $1,234.72 on 08/10/2000. Fahoum paid that debt on 10/26/2000.
- Chase Bank USA filed a claim for $10,931.04 on 06/14/2010. She paid it off on 11/29/2011
- Arrow Financial Services, a collections agency, filed a case demanding $1,925.21 on 11/13/2003. Fahoum never responded to their demand and was ordered to pay by default which she did.
- Sears Roebuck filed a claim for $1,293.08 on 04/09/2003. Fahoum failed to respond to the lawsuit and was ordered to pay by default which she paid.
A legal expert knowledgeable about debt collections said they could be symptomatic of a larger problem.
“Cases like these are like DUIs. When a person is finally pulled over for drunk driving they have been driving drunk for a long time. And If someone has six collections claims that actually make it to court, there are twenty more that didn’t,” they told the Valley Voice.
Despite Fahoum’s lengthy collections history, the embezzlement charges were met with shock.
“Fahoum is charged with felony grand theft by embezzlement, four felony counts of grand theft, and one misdemeanor count of petty theft. It is alleged that Fahoum, who had access to the bank account used for the police explorers and often served as a liaison for donors to the department’s explorer program, stole nearly $50,000 from the account. It is alleged that Fahoum used funds at casinos, gas stations, and retail stores for personal use. The crimes are alleged to have been committed from 2017 to 2023,” a press release from the Tulare County District Attorney’s office read.
According to investigator Skyler Pfarr, Farhoum withdrew cash from the program’s checking account and solicited money from local businesses and then cashed checks for herself.
Elizabeth Jones, VPD Public Information Officer said “The Explorer Program was started around 2001. 14 kids are currently active in the program and [it has] served hundreds of kids since it began.”
Though Fahoum is accused of embezzling $50,000 over several years from the Explorer’s program, according to Jones the program’s budget for the 2024/25 year is only $23,600.
“A hard worker and really nice person”
After the district attorney’s office filed charges against Fahoum, Visalia Police Chief Jason Salazar gave a public statement April 25 on the department’s Facebook page.
“To our community and especially to those who generously invested in our Explorer program to benefit the youth in that program – I am deeply sorry.”
“The captain position is the second highest position in the Visalia Police Department and a position that carries great weight, responsibility, and trust. When something like this occurs, it has a significant impact on the organization, on our community, and to the entire policing profession. Actions like these erode the trust that members of this community have placed in its police department, and that trust is something that we place great value on in policing and in working to serve our community,” he wrote.
The charges surprised all who knew her.
“I was shocked,” said lawyer Maggie Melo from the Law Firm of Melo and Sarsfield. “I’ve worked with her on cases and I found her competent, a hard worker and a really nice person.”
Fahoum is one of only three captains at the Visalia Police Department, and oversaw the Operations Division – a role Salazar held before he was selected as Chief of Police.
Background
Fahoum graduated from the Tulare-Kings Counties Police Academy and immediately began her law enforcement career with the Visalia Police Department in 1999. Luma was promoted to the position of Sergeant in 2013, to Lieutenant in 2016 and to Captain in 2021.
On September 19, 2024 Fahoum was put on paid administrative leave by Salazar while the department and district attorney’s officeconducted a thorough investigation.
After a lengthy investigation, TCDA filed charges and put a warrant out for Fahoum’s arrest on April 25. Fahoum surrendered herself the same day to the Taft Police Department in Kern County. She was booked and then released on $100,000 bail, according to Tulare County DA officials.
Her arraignment will be May 22 where the judge will set final bail and Fahoum will enter her plea of guilty or not guilty.
Did the Visalia Police Department miss the red flags?
Jones outlined the rigorous vetting process the Visalia Police Department puts candidates through to get hired as a police officer.
The hiring process entails an application, written test, interviews, polygraph, background investigation, psychological examination and medical examination.
But as the officer is promoted through the ranks, unless something has come to the department’s attention, there is no vetting process in order to get promoted.
The prospective candidate for promotion needs to go through additional interviews, fill out an application and a written examination – but there are no further background checks.
“When an officer is first hired they do an extensive background check evaluating the individual’s truthfulness and moral issues. But a department may or may not conduct a background check when it comes time to promote an officer. They might not have the personnel nor the motivation to vet a promotion if the candidate is well liked and a hard worker,” a former police officer involved in personnel issues told the Voice.
“The only exception would be if the officer was going to be working on narcotics where they may be handling large amounts of money,” they said.
Fahoum went through their vetting process and background check in 1999, before any financial troubles hit the court system.
Why is Fahoum getting paid to sit at home?
Much consternation has been voiced over Fahoum being paid to sit at home while a lengthy investigation unfolds.
Fahoum’s baseline salary is $168,754, which means she has earned about $100,000 during her paid administrative leave.
Rumors on Facebook circulated that Fahoum would have to pay back half, or some portion, of her paid leave if found guilty.
Not true, Melo said.
“There is no mechanism to garnish wages after an employee’s administrative leave ends,” she said.
Melo said that, generally speaking, the accused goes on paid administrative leave while the police department or DA’s office conducts their investigation.
There is an administration process that needs to be followed during the leave, and it doesn’t end until the investigation is completed and disciplinary action is either recommended or not.
During leave they have to call their supervisor every morning at the start of their work day and stay within one hour of the office in case they are called back to work. If the employee is going to be out of the area for an extended period of time, they would take vacation time.
“Technically, the employee is still working,” said Melo.
After all evidence is organized and an investigation is completed and handed over to the Visalia Police Department, the final step is a request for a statement from the accused.
Melo explained that the VPD will take all the information from the district attorney’s investigation and will ask Fahoum for a statement. She can decline to give a statement at which time she would be asked to quit or be fired and her paid leave would come to an end.
“If I’m representing employees facing similar circumstances, I advise them against giving a statement and quit,” Melo said. “Any time you open your mouth you are helping the prosecution.”
Why did the investigation taking so long?
“As stated, multiple criminal investigators were assigned to this matter and served 26 search warrants on financial institutions, internet service providers and the defendant’s home, conducted numerous interviews, and gathered information across state lines. This investigation was thorough, professional, and resulted in a significant felony filing,” Stuart Anderson, Communications Director for the Tulare County District Attorney’s office said.
Melo said that made sense.
“This not your run of the mill case. This is a Captain in the Visalia Police Department, a high ranking official in the position of trust. So you want to make sure and get it right before filing a complaint. The DA is dotting all their ‘I’s and crossing all its ‘T’s,” she said.
Fahoum is being represented by Roger Wilson with Wilson Law firm in Fresno and Rains Lucia Stern St. Phalle & Silver, a firm with offices throughout California. Wilson’s current focus is representing peace officers in administrative, disciplinary, critical incidents.
According to his website Wilson was a prosecutor with the Tulare County and Fresno County District Attorneys’ Offices and has both prosecuted and defended white collar crimes, arson, gang related cases, drug cases, DUIs, domestic violence, sex crimes and consumer.
Wilson told the Visalia Times-Delta that Fahoum intended to “fight this.”
“She has been an outstanding performer for this department. She’s done excellent work to get promoted to where she is,” he told the Times-Delta.
DA Tim Ward will dismiss charges and plead this down to misdemeanors or no jail time. His office has done this with the VPD Officer who was caught on video groping women at the Visalia Elks Lodge in 2020, and the Porterville Officer who was caught in a relationship with a juvenile explorer in 2019. Also VPD officers S. Logan faced 11 years in prison plus one year of local jail time and Officer B. Ferreira faced 34 years plus six years of local jail time in 2023. Both were given sweet plea deals from Ward’s office. No surprise, but Tim Ward sought and received VPD Officers’ and PPD union endorsements when he ran for re-election. Please call the DA’s office and tell Tim Ward not to run scared from a trial and make a plea deal with this case like he has in the past. Valley Voice: Just look at every single past case where Ward has prosecuted a peace officer from VPD and you will see all the plea deals and charge dismissals.
In my opinion the scales of justice will prevail once all the evidence is investigated and rendered into evidence then and only then can a determination fall into place as to the accused will be prosecuted with out prejudice
Well said!
Put not your trust in humans…
There is no other choice but to trust humans when it comes to judicial trials and all other “earthly matters” when it comes right down to it. We physically live in an imperfect world but one must try to trust all jurors to do the best they can when passing judicial judgments on the guilt or innocence of another human being.