A former property manager for the Tenderloin Housing Clinic for the homeless allegedly embezzled more than $47,000 from the nonprofit, police said Wednesday.

James Eugene Holland, 41, of San Francisco took rental payments in 2009 from clinic tenants — many of whom were poor, disabled or elderly — and deposited them into his personal bank account, police said.

Clinic Executive Director Randy Shaw said Wednesday that Holland had worked for the clinic for a few years and was fired immediately after the alleged embezzlement was uncovered.

“We caught him within a month,” Shaw said. “You don’t expect people to steal, but it happens in all
businesses, unfortunately.”

Holland had been the property manager at a 56-unit apartment building on Brannan Street in South of Market, according to Shaw. He said that building was not connected to any city program.

Holland also allegedly placed an online ad and moved a new tenant into a clinic building without notifying the organization, according to police. He then allegedly set up his own post office box to collect rent money for the unit, police said.

Shaw said cops were notified immediately, but “apparently they were not able to find him at that point.”

The police investigation led to Dallas, where they said Holland had been receiving mail in November, and then back to San Francisco.

Shaw said the clinic recently found out Holland was working for another local affordable housing organization and notified police.

Holland was arrested Oct. 6, police said. He was booked on charges of grand theft, embezzlement and 19 counts of forgery, and remains in custody.

aburack@sfexaminer.com