PARENTS ADVISORY COMMITTEE TREASURER IN ROSWELL, NEW MEXICO CHARGED WITH EMBEZZLEMENT

The treasurer of Monterrey Elementary School’s Parent Advisory Committee was arrested and charged with embezzlement on December 10, 2009.
Desiree Felker is accused of taking $12,500 of the committee’s funds, according to court documents.
The committee, a non-profit organization comprised of parents who voluntarily raise money to fill in financial gaps when general school funds are insufficient, noticed discrepancies in their bank statements in November.
Daniel Coleman, president of the the committee, and Denise Samuels, vice president of the committee, told police that Felker had access to the committee’s funds through a bankcard and made 206 personal charges between Nov. 5, 2008, and Nov. 3, 2009, according to court documents.
Felker has been in charge of the funds since September 2008, they said.
Coleman and Samuels provided police with a 41-page bank statement in which they highlighted charges they said should not have been made.
Coleman and Samuels did not return phone calls for comment regarding the case.
Monterrey Elementary School principal Joan Accardi, who met with Felker and members of the committee on Nov. 4 to discuss the missing money, according to court documents, also declined to comment on the incident.
Felker told police during an interview on Nov. 5 that she had used the committee’s money to purchase a computer notebook, printer and cell phone but deposited her income tax return into the committee’s account to counterbalance the charges.
Roswell Independent School District Superintendent Michael Gottlieb said that Monterrey Elementary School and the committee operate as separate financial entities.
The committee does not share an account with an RISD school nor do their finances affect RISD, Gottlieb said.
“They help raise funds for the school, but we have no control over their money,” he said.
Felker, who was booked into the Chaves County Detention Center on Dec. 10 under a $10,000 cash surety bond, bonded out by Friday afternoon.
Felker declined to comment on the embezzlement charges.