San Diego County has announced that it will reimburse local organizations who never received payment from a contractor who is accused of embezzlement.

The county said that it will pay nearly $150,000 to six subcontractors for services delivered on behalf of the Harm Reduction Coalition of San Diego, which reportedly never paid them for work they had done.

Amy Knox, the former chief operating officer of Harm Reduction Coalition SD, has been accused of taking more than $130,000 in public funds to pay for personal expenses such as plastic surgery procedures, trips to Hawaii and Disneyland, and payments for her SDG&E and credit card bills.

According to the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office, the funds she is accused of taking were part of over $4 million awarded to the nonprofit for its efforts to prevent and reduce fentanyl deaths within San Diego County.

Knox, 45, “controlled the nonprofit’s finances and was designated as the contract administrator for the county contracts,” the DA’s office said at the time.

She faces up to seven years in state prison if convicted of charges that include felony counts of misappropriating public funds and embezzlement.

Knox was arrested in February.

All HRCSD subcontractors may also seek victim restitution for additional money they may be owed through the San Diego County District Attorney’s criminal case, the county said in a statement.

The Harm Reduction Coalition was responsible for distributing the anti-overdose medication naloxone along with drug testing materials throughout the county, which ended all contracts with the organization in mid-2025.

“The County is committed to accountability and is working with an independent auditor to review its overall contracting processes,” officials said in a statement. “The auditor is expected to deliver a report with findings and recommendations by the end of May.

“Once the independent audit is complete, the County will evaluate the findings and determine additional steps needed to strengthen contracting practices and protect public resources.”

The county added that despite the termination of HRCSD contracts in 2025, the naloxone distribution efforts have continued without interruption.