Editor
A former operations manager for the Fresno Arts Council (FAC) has pleaded guilty to wire fraud after stealing more than $1.8 million in public funds over nearly four years. She used the money to fund her gambling habit, as well as for vacations and covering personal expenses.
Suliana Caldwell entered a guilty plea on April 20 before a federal court in the Eastern District of California. The 46-year-old’s admissions ended what prosecutors described as a years-long scheme of theft and deception that drained a nonprofit arts organization of millions of dollars in public money.
This included funds earmarked for the community through a voter-approved tax measure. The case raises serious questions about financial oversight at a nonprofit entrusted with administering tens of millions of dollars in public grants.
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A Position of Trust
Caldwell joined the FAC in 2011 as its operations manager. This nonprofit serves as the designated local arts agency for both the City and County of Fresno. It promotes and supports the regional arts community with advocacy, grants, public art management, and programming.
Caldwell held extensive financial authority in her role, managing the organization’s bank accounts, payroll, grants, donations, and general finances. She also prepared and presented financial reports to the FAC’s executive director, board members, and representatives from the City and County of Fresno. Public entities provided almost all of the FAC’s funding. Prosecutors say that her level of access formed the foundation of her fraud.
How the Fresno Theft Scheme Worked
According to court documents, Caldwell started making unauthorized transfers from the FAC’s bank accounts in June 2022, sending money to her personal PayPal account and her personal bank accounts.
The sums at the beginning remained relatively modest, but they started growing significantly in 2023 when the Fresno City Council designated the FAC as the administrator of Measure P grant funding.
Fresno residents passed Measure P, a voter-approved tax initiative, in 2018 to fund parks, trails, the arts, and other community priorities. This change gave Caldwell access to a much bigger pool of money, which led to her theft escalating, with her transfers totaling $58,000 in one day in July 2024.
The FAC received $9.4 million in Measure P funds in August 2023 and another $5.7 million by October 2024. Caldwell had stolen more than $1.8 million when all was said and done before authorities caught her in February 2026.
Caldwell actively concealed her personal payments through her role in creating and submitting the financial reports that were supposed to provide oversight of the organization’s finances. Prosecutors claimed that she altered and presented falsified reports to make it appear that the FAC bank accounts contained their proper balances.
The scheme eventually unraveled in early 2026. Caldwell confessed to the crimes on March 26, 2026 in a meeting with the FBI and the Fresno Police Department. She described the ways in which she deceived the FAC.
Caldwell then signed a formal plea agreement earlier this month with federal prosecutors, pleading guilty to one count of wire fraud.
Sentencing Ahead in Fresno Fraud Case
The court will conduct sentencing on Aug. 10, 2026 and she faces up to 20 years in federal prison and a fine of up to $250,000. However, the court will base her actual sentence on a range of factors, including her lack of a criminal record, her acceptance of responsibility, and her abuse of a position of trust.
The court documents don’t reveal exactly how much of the $1.8 million Caldwell gambled away at local casinos. However, prosecutors described her actions as compulsive spending rather than calculated financial gain.
It remains unclear what changes the FAC and its governing overseers will introduce to prevent similar abuses in the future.
