Couple sentenced for stealing inheritance from orphans

RANCHO CUCAMONGA -- A husband and wife convicted of stealing about $750,000 of inheritance money from orphans in their care were sentenced to prison today in West Valley Superior Court.

Richard Reyes, 51, was sentenced to four years, and his wife Yvonne Marie Reyes, 49, was sentenced to two years, said James Reiss, the husband's attorney.

The Rancho Cucamonga couple were also ordered to pay between $900,000 and $975,000 in restitution to the three orphans whose parents were killed in a murder-suicide in 2006, Reiss said.

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

The Reyeses were granted temporary custody of the children in September 2006.

Within 18 months they drained the inheritance accounts of the three children, who were left money from pension benefits, life insurance, and social security.

"(Authorities) determined the money was spent on a variety of things," Reiss said. "That included taking care of the kids, as well as items that could not be accounted for."

The couple are now broke and have no assets that can be sold to pay back the stolen inheritance money, so restitution will be paid "out of post-incarceration earnings," Reiss said.

The Reyeses were each credited with nearly 600 days in custody at sentencing today, Reiss said.

Because that time will be deducted from time the couple would otherwise spend in prison, Yvonne Reyes could be released in only a few months, Reiss said.