Former head of homeless services provider accused of stealing $91,000 and misappropriating more than $1,200,000 in public funds and filing false documents including California Tax Returns for several years

San Francisco, CA – District Attorney Brooke Jenkins announced today that Gwendolyn Westbrook (71), the former Chief Executive Officer of the United Council for Human Services (UCHS), was charged with multiple felonies following an investigation by the District Attorney’s Office Public Integrity Task Force stemming from the alleged misuse and theft of public funds entrusted to UCHS, a nonprofit organization serving homeless and low-income individuals. Ms. Westbrook is accused of unlawfully misappropriating public money and grant funds on behalf of UCHS, while exercising near-exclusive financial control over the organization.

Ms. Westbrook is scheduled to be arraigned on February 24, 2026, at 1:30 p.m., at the Hall of Justice.

Ms. Westbrook is charged with nine felony charges including one count of misappropriation of public funds, three counts of grand theft, one count of presenting a false invoice for payment and four counts of filing false California tax returns for tax years 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023.

According to court documents, Ms. Westbrook misappropriated more than $1.2 million in public funds from UCHS accounts to herself through a combination of undocumented cash withdrawals and self-issued payments, and that additional large sums withdrawn from UCHS accounts remain unaccounted for. Prosecutors allege that between 2019 and 2023, Ms. Westbrook engaged in unauthorized self-payments, improper cash withdrawals, and fraudulent reimbursement practices that diverted public funds for personal use.

These charges are a result of an on-going investigation by the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office Public Integrity Task Force. Anyone with information is asked to call the Public Integrity Task Force tip line at 628-652-4444. You may remain anonymous.

Court Number: 26004009

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