In late May, the Santa Clara County, Calif. District Attorneys Office charged a former escrow officer with 32 counts of embezzlement and grand theft for allegedly living high on the hog on the tab of her clients.
Melanie Melim, a former escrow officer with Alliance Title Co., faces up to 21 years in prison for allegedly stealing more than $1 million from client escrow accounts funds that were considered to be guarded by a neutral third-party to the real estate transaction.