Sentencing for the former finance director for the La Jolla Music Society is set for May 5 after he pleaded guilty to wire fraud in embezzlement that totaled $650,000 over a 10-year period.

Chris Michael Benavides, 52, was allowed to remain free on a $20,000 bond by U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge Barbara Major.

The La Jolla Music Society discovered the fraudulent activity on Feb. 22, 2021, and fired Benavides in March 2021. They then reported the embezzlement to law enforcement.

“Fraud perpetrated against non-profit organizations is particularly troubling,” said U.S. Attorney Randy Grossman.

“This defendant abused his position of trust to enrich himself and will be held accountable for his crime,” said Grossman.

Grossman said Benavides said he used the stolen funds to pay his mortgage, credit cards, and other personal expenses.

Court records say he misappropriated $650,000 between October 2011 and February 2021 from the nonprofit organization where he began working in 2006. His plea agreement says he devised a scheme to cause checks to be issued to himself and then deposited to his own bank account.

Benavides will be ordered to pay the La Jolla Music Society back and may have already made some restitution, according to records.

The maximum sentence is 20 years in federal prison, but the plea agreement says the U.S. Attorney’s office has agreed to a sentence recommendation in the low end of the sentencing guidelines.

“Crimes such as this can have a devastating impact on both the employer and the local community, and further shake the confidence of the donors whose charitable contributions provide critical support for nonprofit organizations,” said FBI Special Agent in charge Suzanne Turner.

“I hope this guilty plea provides a sense of closure and justice for the victims,” said Turner.

Benavides has been ordered to notify the U.S. Attorney’s office if he purchases any property worth more than $1,000. He lives in Mission Valley.