Two women have pleaded guilty in connection with the theft of hundreds of thousands of dollars from a founding partner of the Golden Knights.
Jennifer Courtemanche and Brittany Burgess each pleaded guilty in June to a gross misdemeanor count of conspiracy to commit theft, court records show.
Courtemanche was the girlfriend of Gavin Maloof, who along with his brothers George and Phil was a founding partner of the Golden Knights.
Burgess purported to be a talent agent for Courtemanche, a model and actress who appeared in the TV series “You’re the Worst,” “Days of Our Lives” and “Anger Management,” according to the Internet Movie Database.
As part of her plea, Courtemanche agreed to pay Maloof nearly $445,000. Burgess agreed to pay him almost $12,000.
If the defendants make full restitution, they could have their cases dismissed, according to their plea agreements. Prosecutors agreed not to oppose probation for either woman.
“This was a complicated case involving a substantial financial loss,” Chief Deputy District Attorney Austin Beaumont said Tuesday. “I evaluated the case based on the evidence, the law and what could realistically be accomplished for the victim.”
He called the resolution “fair and appropriate.” The defendants accepted responsibility, he said, and agreed to pay restitution, a central focus of negotiations.
“My priority was to give the victim the strongest possible opportunity to recover the money that was taken from him,” Beaumont said.
The prosecutor said Courtemanche and Maloof are no longer dating.
Police previously accused Courtemanche and Burgess of stealing nearly $500,000 from Maloof using the Apple Cash digital payment application and beginning in 2020.
Attorneys for the defendants declined to comment.
Sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 20.
Contact Noble Brigham at nbrigham@reviewjournal.com.
