Hubbard’s co-defendant due in court Thursday

The trial of a former Beverly Hills schools administrator charged with accepting illegal stipends from a superintendent who later took over the Newport-Mesa Unified School District is scheduled to begin Thursday.

Karen Anne Christiansen, a former facilities director with Beverly Hills Unified, is charged along with Newport-Mesa Supt. Jeffrey Hubbard of misappropriating funds when they worked together in Beverly Hills more than four years ago.

The two co-defendants are being tried separately. Both have pleaded not guilty.

Christiansen is also charged with multiple counts of conflict of interest.

Christiansen will appear in the Los Angeles Criminal Courts Building, Department 51, the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office confirmed.

On Feb. 7, Hubbard was charged with signing off on $20,000 in payments to Christiansen without school board approval and raising her car allowance.

Hubbard’s trial is set to begin June 29 in Los Angeles. He is on paid administrative leave from Newport-Mesa.

— Sarah Peters