Suliana Caldwell leaves federal court in Fresno in August 2026. Courtesy of City of Fresno

A federal judge ordered former Fresno Arts Council operations manager Suliana Caldwell to repay approximately $1.1 million Tuesday, but questions remain about how money recovered through PayPal will be allocated.

Judge Jennifer L. Thurston issued the restitution order Sept. 8. PayPal had reversed $901,844 in fraudulent charges, but city officials said Fresno had not received repayment from the nonprofit.

A Sept. 2 federal court filing provides a breakdown of the losses. According to the government’s memorandum regarding restitution, the FBI traced $1.82 million in stolen money, determining that $1.17 million came from Measure P funds owned and controlled by Fresno.

The remaining $642,086 belonged to the Arts Council and came from sources the memorandum did not identify, prosecutors wrote.

At the time of that filing, the Arts Council had confirmed receiving $576,800 in PayPal reimbursements. Prosecutors consequently sought $65,286.08 for the nonprofit, along with the city’s full loss.

The Munro Review reported Monday that subsequent reimbursements exceeded the nonprofit’s separately identified losses, prompting prosecutors to stop seeking restitution for the Arts Council while continuing to pursue repayment for the city.

The Sept. 2 filing also said PayPal had declined to submit its own restitution request despite repeated FBI requests to do so.

The $901,844 in reversals reported at Tuesday’s hearing exceeds the Arts Council’s separately identified losses by nearly $260,000. That difference does not establish that the excess represents recovered city funds.