Amy Knox, former chief operating officer of the Harm Reduction Coalition of San Diego, has been charged with embezzling more than $130,000 in public funds from the county-contracted nonprofit, the San Diego County District Attorney's Office announced Wednesday.
Knox, 45, is accused of diverting funds from an organization that received more than $4 million in county contracts for fentanyl prevention and Narcan distribution โ money taxpayers provided to address San Diego County's overdose crisis. Prosecutors say Knox used the money for personal expenses, including plastic surgery, trips to Hawaii and Disneyland, and payments toward personal utility and credit card bills. She faces up to seven years in state prison if convicted of felony misappropriating public funds and embezzlement charges.
District Attorney Summer Stephan said the case was made worse by what she described as systemic oversight failures. Knox had previously been convicted of felony grand theft from a prior employer and sentenced to prison in 2015, prosecutors said. She was hired into a position overseeing the nonprofit's finances without a background check. A check was eventually conducted and revealed the prior conviction โ yet the county awarded the nonprofit another contract in August 2024, Stephan said.
"It is deeply concerning that the checks and balances that are supposed to safeguard the county's large budget and trust funds failed in this case," Stephan said at a news conference. The DA said an investigation remained ongoing into whether anyone else was involved and why the county did not take action after learning of Knox's criminal history. Stephan also alleged there had "been an effort to remove checks and balances when it comes to contracts" within the county.
The Harm Reduction Coalition's CEO, Tara Stamos-Buesig, reported suspicions about Knox to the DA's Office last May. The county subsequently canceled its Narcan distribution and drug-testing contracts with the nonprofit. Knox was arrested last week and pleaded not guilty Wednesday; she remains in custody on $200,000 bail pending a review hearing. County employees with information about suspected malfeasance are encouraged to contact the DA's whistleblower program, prosecutors said, adding that those who report would be protected under California whistleblower laws.