Judge orders 12-year sentence in embezzlement case

This is an updated version of a story posted Friday afternoon.

BARSTOW — A Barstow judge handed down a 12-year prison sentence to Joyce Jaska, the Apple Valley woman convicted of embezzling more than $150,000 from Barstow Truck Parts, Friday.

In addition, Jaska was ordered to pay about $37,280 in court fines, reimbursement for public defenders’ fees, probation and booking expenses and payments to the state restitution fund.

The amount of restitution she will have to pay to Barstow Truck Parts will be determined at a separate hearing on June 23.

Jaska was convicted of five counts of grand theft, six counts of filing a fraudulent or false tax return and five counts of perjury on April 9.

Deputy district attorney Rick Golden, who said that the years of embezzlement left Barstow Truck Parts “comatose,” asked the judge for a prison sentence of 12 years and 8 months. Jaska’s defense attorney Cliff Peters asked the court for a probation sentence with a suspended prison sentence and an order to pay restitution to the victims.

Peters said that a probation sentence would enable Jaska to work and pay restitution to Barstow Truck Parts more quickly. He also noted that Jaska had no prior criminal record and has two dependent children, one in college and one in high school.

Jaska’s 19-year old son, Nicholas Jaska, a student at University of the Pacific in Stockton, said he still believes “100 percent” in his mother’s innocence. He said that Joyce will appeal her conviction.

In a statement to the court, Joyce said that the family’s house is in foreclosure and its bank account exhausted.
“I have paid dearly for this,” she said.

She told the court that she was sorry for her actions but maintained that she had merely continued business practices that were already in place at Barstow Truck Parts, such as labeling checks to employees as payments for scrap metal rather than paychecks.

Barstow Truck Parts owner Jim Rajacich, who is Joyce’s cousin, called her statements “complete lies.”

“It’s probably not enough time for her,” he said of the 12-year sentence. “She deserves more.”

The jury found that Joyce had embezzled more than $150,000, but Jim said the company intends to seek more in a civil suit.

Joyce’s husband and codefendant Wesley Jaska has a sentencing hearing set for Monday. Deputy district attorney Golden said the probation department recommended a sentence of probation for Wesley, who was convicted of several counts of perjury and filing a false tax return.

Golden declined to state what sentence he would ask for in Wesley’s case.

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