Husband and wife plead guilty to stealing inheritance from orphans

RANCHO CUCAMONGA -- A husband and wife are headed to state prison after pleading guilty Friday to charges that they stole $750,000 in inheritance money from orphans in their care.

Richard and Yvonne Reyes, of Rancho Cucamonga, agreed to prison sentences of four years and two years, respectively, as part of plea bargains reached with prosecutors Friday in West Valley Superior Court, said an attorney for one of the defendants.

They each pleaded guilty Friday to a single count of grand theft, and will likely be ordered to pay the victims a restitution sum in the "mid six-figures" when they are sentenced Dec. 22, said James Reiss, Richard Reyes' attorney.

The Reyeses were granted temporary custody of three children in September 2006 after the children's parents died in a murder-suicide.

The Reyeses knew the children and their parents though youth sports, and the children's father said in a suicide note that he wanted to the Reyeses to care for his children.

In the 18 months after the Reyeses were named the children's guardians, prosecutors allege they spent about $750,000 that the children inherited from their parents -- money from pension benefits, life insurance, and social security.

When multiple felony charges were filed against the Reyeses in April, investigators said they were unsure how the couple spent the money.

Because the Reyeses have been in custody since they were arrested in April, about one year of custody time will be deducted from their prison sentences, Reiss said.

Yvonne Reyes, 49, could be released from state prison in about six months, and Richard Reyes, 51, could be released in about a year and a half, Reiss said.