Prosecutors offer plea bargains to Rancho couple accused of inheritance theft

Prosecutors and defense attorneys are working to resolve the grand theft case of a married couple accused of stealing $750,000 in inheritance money from three orphaned children in their care.

The defense attorney for Richard Reyes, 50, said today that prosecutors have made a plea offer of 4 years in state prison for his client.

Reyes' wife and co-defendant, 48-year-old Yvonne Reyes, has been offered a sentence of 1-2 years, said James Reiss, Richard Reyes' defense attorney.

The Rancho Cucamonga couple, who are currently jailed in lieu of $1.4 million bail, are accused of stealing the inheritance money over an 18-month period starting in September 2006.

The children in their care were orphaned in 2006 when their father, Monrovia fire Capt. Fernando Rodriguez, 41, shot and killed his estranged wife, 33-year-old Katherine Rodriguez, then shot himself.

The Reyeses were granted temporary guardianship of the children after the murder-suicide.

Deputy District Attorney Glenn Yabuno, the case's prosecutor, said that as part of a plea bargain in the Reyeses' case, prosecutors would insist the couple repay the full sum allegedly stolen from the children.

Reiss said if the case is resolved, the money will be repaid through fundraising, family contributions, and potential litigation against attorneys who represented the children in their guardianship case.

Reiss said there are civil claims being initiated by the children against the attorneys for failing to obtain a bond to insure the children's inheritance against theft.

The Reyeses appeared in West Valley Superior Court this morning for a routine hearing, where little happened besides attorneys agreeing on a future court date. The Reyeses are next due in court June 8.

A bail-reduction request from Yvonne Reyes' attorney was set to be considered today, but that issue was continued to June 8.