Ex-con charged with misusing county grant funds for plastic surgery, vacations

The former chief operating officer of a nonprofit that contracted with San Diego County to distribute the anti-overdose medication Narcan has been charged with embezzling funds from the organization.

Amy Knox, ex-COO of Harm Reduction Coalition of San Diego, is accused of taking over $130,000 in public funds to pay for personal expenses such as plastic surgery procedures, trips to Hawaii and Disneyland, and payments for her SDG&E and credit card bills.

According to the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office, the funds she’s accused of taking were part of over $4 million awarded to the nonprofit for its efforts to prevent and reduce fentanyl deaths within San Diego County.

Knox, 45, “controlled the nonprofit’s finances and was designated as the contract administrator for the county contracts,” the D.A.’s Office said.

She faces up to seven years in state prison if convicted of charges that include felony counts of misappropriating public funds and embezzlement.

Knox was arrested last week and after pleading not guilty to the charges on Wednesday, she remains in custody on $200,000 bail, pending a bail review hearing set for next week.

In a news conference announcing the charges, San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan said Knox was previously charged in San Diego County with taking over $500,000 from a prior employer. Court records show she pleaded guilty to felony grand theft charges in that case and was sentenced to prison in 2015.

Despite her criminal history, Stephan said Knox was able to attain her position in the organization without a background check.

After concerns were raised by county staff, a background check was ultimately conducted and revealed the conviction, yet around a year later, the nonprofit was awarded another contract from the county in August of 2024, Stephan said.

Stephan said Wednesday that it was “deeply concerning that the checks and balances that are supposed to safeguard the county’s large budget and trust funds failed in this case.”

Harm Reduction Coalition’s CEO, Tara Stamos-Buesig, reported suspicions regarding Knox to the District Attorney’s Office last May, Stephan said. The county canceled its contracts for Narcan distribution and drug testing with the nonprofit the following month.

Stephan said that after the contracts were terminated, there was no referrals to the D.A.’s Office for potential criminal investigation, as had been done in previous instances of suspected fraud or wrongdoing by public officials.

County officials did not respond to a request for comment regarding Stephan’s assertions.

Stephan said an investigation remained ongoing into “aspects in the county as to why and how this happened,” as well as whether anyone else was involved in the fraud.

She also alleged there has “been an effort to remove checks and balances when it comes to contracts” and that employees have recently left the county “with agreements to be silent.”

The D.A.’s Office urged any county employees with information of suspected malfeasance to report concerns to prosecutors and said that anyone making reports would be protected under whistleblower laws.

Stephan said in a statement, “Whistleblowing is an important part of public safety. It is often the first line of defense against corruption and misuse of public funds.”