School merger figure will go through pretrial program on embezzlement charges in Memphis

Businessman and political figure Tommy Hart, accused of embezzling prize money from bowling leagues at the Southaven bowling center he owns, will go through pretrial intervention, a program for first-time nonviolent offenders, instead of going to trial.

A Mississippi businessman, accused of embezzling prize money from bowling leagues at the Southaven bowling center he owns, will go through pretrial intervention. It’s a program for first-time nonviolent offenders, instead of going to trial.
The Commercial Appeal reports 71-year-old Tommy Hart must repay the nearly $47,000 in prize money to the four bowling leagues at his Cotton Bowl Lanes Bowling Center before he can begin the pretrial program.
His trial date was set for Monday.
Hart must follow all the rules of the two-year program, including monthly check-ins with the program’s intervention officer. If he fails to meet any of the program’s rules, he will be brought up for prosecution by the DeSoto County District Attorney’s office.

 A former Shelby County Commissioner is accused of embezzling money at a Southaven bowling alley.

Investigators arrested Thomas Hart on Friday, May 4. Police say Hart was supposed to handle the bowling league prize money at the Cotton Bowl Lanes Bowling Center, but stole it instead. 

"This year when we tried to get our money, back from our leagues, we never got an answer. Made four requests and no one ever responded to me," said Frank Woodson, President of the Cotton Bowl Lanes Bowling League. Hart is accused of pocketing nearly $30,000, "$18,000 in one league, and $11,000 in the other," Woodson said.

Hart is currently on the Transition Planning Commission, the group working on the unified school plan for Memphis City and Shelby County Schools. He told abc24.com he has no plans to step down in light of his arrest, and stated that the whole thing is a misunderstanding.

"When you get to be 70 years old, and this is the first time in your life you experienced anything like this, it is not a proud experience," Hart said. "We had a change in our accounting department, we had a change in management of this, so, it is a lot of balls in motion."

Thomas Hart was booked at the DeSoto County Jail and has since been released on bond. As for where the bowling leagues' money is, Hart replied, "I can't answer that."