Students at Rio Linda High School raise money throughout the year to support clubs, athletics, dances, assemblies and other campus activities. Prosecutors now allege that some of those student funds were misappropriated by a former teacher who once helped oversee the school’s Associated Student Body finances.
Cinnamon Mary Trimpey, 57, pleaded not guilty Thursday in Sacramento Superior Court to felony charges of embezzlement, grand theft and obtaining money by false pretenses. She appeared before Judge David Bonilla and was released on bond pending a preliminary hearing scheduled for July 15.
According to court filings, prosecutors allege Trimpey opened a private bank account to conduct Associated Student Body business while employed at Rio Linda High School. They contend she diverted an undisclosed amount of money from the school’s “Knights Armor” Associated Student Body account between December 2022 and March 2024.
Authorities have not publicly disclosed how much money is alleged to have been taken or whether any student programs were directly affected.
Associated Student Body, commonly known as ASB, manages money generated through student fundraising activities, ticket sales, donations and campus events. Those funds are typically used to support student organizations, athletics, leadership activities, campus traditions and other programs that fall outside a school’s regular operating budget.
District police with the Twin Rivers Unified School District arrested Trimpey earlier this week. She was booked into the Sacramento County Main Jail before posting bond and being released, according to jail records.
The district confirmed that Trimpey is no longer employed by Twin Rivers Unified but declined to comment further, citing the ongoing legal proceedings. Public employment records indicate she began teaching at Rio Linda High School in August 2022.
California law distinguishes embezzlement from other forms of theft because it involves property or money that was legally entrusted to someone before it was allegedly misused. Prosecutors allege that occurred in this case through Trimpey’s role in handling student-body finances.
The next step in the case is a preliminary hearing on July 15. During that hearing, prosecutors will present evidence to determine whether there is sufficient cause for the charges to proceed toward trial. Trimpey is presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
For Rio Linda High students and families, the case raises broader questions about oversight of student activity funds and the safeguards schools use to protect money raised by students for their own programs. It is not yet known whether the district has conducted an audit of the account or whether any financial losses have been recovered.
Rio Linda Online has requested additional information from Twin Rivers Unified School District regarding its oversight procedures for Associated Student Body accounts and whether any policy changes have been implemented since the alleged thefts occurred. This story will be updated as additional information becomes available.
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