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Victims celebrate after Exitus CEO sentenced to prison

Oct 23, 2024, 11:06 AM | Updated: 12:07 pm

PROVO — Victims of former Utah County CEO Candace Lierd sentenced to prison for communications fraud, forgery, and theft gathered Tuesday evening to begin the healing process after watching her get hauled off from the court in handcuffs.

Lierd, who commonly went by Candace Rivera, will spend at least three years in prison on nine felony charges related to schemes involving many victims and Lierd’s anti-human trafficking organization, Exitus.

As part of a plea agreement, she pleaded no contest to the charges of theft by deception, theft of services, forgery, unlawful conduct, and communications fraud. The rest of the charges were dismissed.

According to court documents, the Exitus founder and ex-CEO pocketed money meant for the organization or other business ventures.

Judge Christine Johnson estimated the amount of money lost between the numerous victims adds up to about $2 million.

A “tone deaf” apology

Filling up the kitchen in a Utah County home with food and lively chatter Tuesday night, the group of victims and others impacted by Lierd’s actions came together and celebrated with relief, while replaying the events of the day.

“We’re a community, and we understand what we’ve all gone through,” said fraud victim Ora Argyle.

A huge topic of conversation in the room was the moment Lierd addressed the court publicly on Tuesday for the first time since her arrest.

Friends, volunteers, and donors feel ‘duped’ by Exitus CEO arrested for fraud

“It was just lie, after lie, after lie,” Argyle said, as she talked to another one of Lierd’s former associates.

While Lierd issued an apology, Judge Johnson later pointed out that Lierd never directly took responsibility and instead spoke passively about her actions and the impact on the victims.
Lierd also criticized some of the victims, attempting to refute details in the victim impact statements.

Candace Lierd at sentencing hearing Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2024. (KSL TV)

“While the forefront of the narratives before you are of betrayal and allegations of millions in embezzlement, I would like to remind the court that I did not embezzle from my beloved nonprofit,” Lierd said, during her statement.

In addition to claiming that she didn’t act maliciously, Lierd expressed that she’s suffered greatly since her arrest more than a year ago.

Judge Christine Johnson responded to Lierd with reproach.

Victims react after Exitus CEO denied bail

“I find it extraordinary that much of the time Ms. Lierd expended in her address a few moments ago, was spent talking about the damage that she has felt herself. She has been destroyed, flawed PR statements by the AG, false narratives, how this has all harmed her,” Judge Johnson said. “It’s a little tone deaf considering the circumstances that you’re in, to not recognize the harm that’s been done to others.”

During the private victim meetup after court that evening, Argyle talked about how much she appreciated Judge Johnson’s remarks.

“When the judge ultimately saw through all of the lies and called her out … it was so powerful,” Argyle said. “I felt so validated, I felt so seen.”

‘She deceived a lot of people’

Several victims read impact statements at Tuesday’s sentencing, and around two dozen people submitted victim impact statement letters to the court.

Four letters attesting to Lierd’s character were also submitted to the court.

The impact statements read in court were filled with countless examples of times friends, family, and business associates said they were manipulated by Lierd, with some conned into giving her anywhere from thousands to more than a hundred thousand dollars.

Former freelancer for Exitus calls CEO ‘con artist’

Those who volunteered and worked for Lierd and Exitus described what they were led to believe were harrowing and dangerous rescue operations locally and overseas.

They said Lierd faked being a nurse practitioner, jeopardizing the health and safety of children and others on these operations.

Perhaps no one could outline the alleged intricate web of lies woven by Lierd more than Argyle, who was Lierd’s personal assistant. Delivering the first victim impact statement of the sentencing hearing, Argyle said she was ready to use her voice and share her story.

Ora Argyle met up with other victims in Candace Lierd’s case. (KSL TV)

“I came ready to look her in the face and tell her how badly she’s hurt myself, my family, victims, and a lot of people that I love,” she said afterward.

In her statement, Argyle described the three years she spent working for Lierd as operating under constant adrenaline, for what she thought was a good cause.

She now questions whether anyone was actually saved during Exitus rescue operations.

“Being with her on dangerous operations, going out on the streets with her, going out of the country with her, trying to save people, while all the while she was keeping the funds for herself, and I was in the dark,” Argyle said.

Exitus CEO arrested for allegedly faking nursing credentials and misleading investors

According to Argyle, Lierd invented elaborate cover-ups to avoid detection and questioning by others. For example, Argyle said Lierd told her she had cancer and for months was supposedly receiving treatment.

At one point unbeknownst to Argyle, Lierd opened a credit account in Argyle’s name.

Argyle talked about how her credit is now ruined and the bank is still trying to hold her accountable for Lierd’s purchase of a vehicle.

“It’s hard to accept the fact that I was taken advantage of for my heart and my good intentions for so long,” Argyle said. “But she was very deceiving. She deceived a lot of people.”

Gathering to heal

At Tuesday’s post-sentencing gathering, people hugged and comforted each other.

“We’re just here to be together, and try and begin the healing process,” Argyle said.

Lierd will serve at least three years in prison, with a sentence of one to 15 years on three of the felony charges, to run consecutively.

“Candace is going to prison, and that’s the only place she deserves to be right now,” said victim Kimberly Morgan.

Morgan worked for Lierd and volunteered for Exitus. She explained how she was never paid for the work she did on Lierd’s projects and business ventures.

Previously, Morgan told KSL TV after Lierd’s September 2023 arrest that she believed all the volunteers and employees were truly passionate and doing real work that made a difference.

One year later, Morgan is still grateful for those same people, saying they’re each incredible.

Kimberly Morgan at a victim group meetup Tuesday in Candace Lierd’s case. (KSL TV)

“We are all people who were able to carry out this work and people who had good hearts,” Morgan said. “And she was able to hide behind that and create her façade, based off of pieces of each of us.”

Looking around the room, Morgan talked about how the group they’ve now formed is something good that came out of all of this.

“To now come together and be able to share in our experiences and share this victory, is really amazing,” she said.

Argyle expressed the same sentiment, adding that the group of victims now has a bond as they support one another.

“It’s difficult to explain exactly how Candace manipulated everyone … we just know, and we understand each other on a level that it is hard to describe,” she said.

While victims talked of still working through feelings and fallout from Lierd’s crimes, Argyle said this is a huge step forward for them.

“For the first time in a long time I can go home and feel safe,” Argyle said. “Hopefully she doesn’t hurt anyone ever again.”

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Victims celebrate after Exitus CEO sentenced to prison