tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-58439388285297053822024-03-13T12:30:54.166-07:00Church and School EmbezzlementMilwaukee CPAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13150752654997656043noreply@blogger.comBlogger1529125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5843938828529705382.post-86676436013443516692019-10-03T10:02:00.004-07:002019-10-03T10:02:56.366-07:00Trial set for former New Mexico athletic director<div class="teaser-content" style="font-family: Franklin, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">
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A judge has set a trial date next year for former University of New Mexico athletic director Paul Krebs on embezzlement and other charges.</div>
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Krebs left the university in 2017 amid questions over spending. At the heart of the case are accusations that he used public money for a lavish golf trip that he said was meant to strengthen relationships with donors.</div>
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Krebs’ attorney Paul Kennedy has said he’s confident his client will be vindicated at the trial set for October 2020.</div>
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An indictment filed in August charges Krebs with embezzlement for using school funds to pay for three people not affiliated with the university to go on the 2015 trip. He’s also charged with lesser embezzlement counts, larceny and tampering.</div>
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Prosecutors accuse Krebs of bypassing university oversight, deleting records and trying to cover up the spending by reimbursing the university for part of the trip.</div>
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<wp-ad aria-hidden="true" class="hide-for-print hide-for-print" data-google-query-id="CLbYkc7IgOUCFYQBPwodJF0ATA" data-json="{"targeting":{"pos":"inline_bb","ctr":["zeus_fusion_a_inline_bb"],"hb_size_appnexus":"300x250","hb_pb_appnexus":"0.06","hb_adid_appnexus":"3476526891636792005"}}" data-refresh="on" data-size="[[2,1],[300,250],"fluid",[620,250]]" data-slot="education" id="slug_inline_bb" style="display: block; margin: auto; min-height: 250px;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 1.25rem;">The state began an investigation in 2017 after it was discovered the university used nearly $25,000 to pay some private donor expenses on the Scotland trip.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 1.25rem;">The scandal came as scrutiny intensified over the athletics department’s budget. A 2017 special audit of the department and affiliated fundraising groups found a lack of financial controls over public money that resulted in unpaid access to luxury basketball arena suites, overpayments to coaches and donor perks of golf and alcohol that failed to elicit donations.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 1.25rem;">The department has made a number of changes over the past year that include a decision by university regents to cut four sports, including men’s soccer, in an attempt to control spending.</span></wp-ad></div>
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Krebs served as athletic director from 2006 to 2017, when he announced his retirement.</div>
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Milwaukee CPAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13150752654997656043noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5843938828529705382.post-49206686000067462552019-10-03T10:00:00.004-07:002019-10-03T10:00:47.434-07:00Charlevoix school sports booster club's treasurer accused of embezzlement in Michigan<div class="speakable-p-1 p-text" style="background-color: #fafafa; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 60px;">
The treasurer of a middle school/high school sports booster club has been charged with embezzling money from the organization, Michigan State Police said Friday.</div>
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Marian Lewis has been arraigned in 90th District Court in Charlevoix on a felony charge of embezzlement from a nonprofit more than $1,000 but less than $20,000, officials said. If convicted, she faces up to 10 years in prison.</div>
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A judge scheduled her next court date for Nov. 5.</div>
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Detectives with the state police's Gaylord Post were called by the Charlevoix Sports Boosters to investigate a complaint of embezzlement by Lewis, who was recently elected the group's treasurer, police said.</div>
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Board members called police after they noticed two checks from the club's checking account were written out to her, according to authorities.</div>
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Investigators found cash withdrawals and a debit card transaction she had also made, officials police said.</div>
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Charlevoix is about 275 miles northwest of Detroi</div>
Milwaukee CPAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13150752654997656043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5843938828529705382.post-66007454353396071982019-10-03T09:55:00.004-07:002019-10-03T09:55:47.223-07:00 Former president of nonprofit pleads not guilty to embezzlement in California<div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #3a4145; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.6; margin-bottom: 16px; padding: 0px 8px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;">
The former president of a nonprofit that serves as the advocacy arm for all the school districts in Riverside County pleaded not guilty today to embezzlement and other charges stemming from the alleged theft of $40,000 from business accounts to pay personal expenses.</div>
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William Clarence Newberry, 59, previous head of the Riverside County School Boards Association, was charged in June with the embezzlement count, as well as misappropriation of funds and two counts of grand theft. </div>
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Jesus Holguin took over as acting president of the RCSBA this summer, according to the California School Boards Association. </div>
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Newberry, who is free on a $40,000 bond, was arraigned before Superior Court Judge David Gunn, who scheduled a felony settlement conference for Oct. 30 at the Riverside Hall of Justice.</div>
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According to the District Attorney's Office, its investigators were alerted last November to possible illicit use of funds belonging to the RCSBA, along with a club at Eleanor Roosevelt High School in Corona.</div>
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The RCSBA represents the county's 23 school districts, providing assistance with promotional campaigns and lobbying on behalf of the districts to oppose or support legislation, according to its website. </div>
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RCSBA Treasurer Tom Hunt brought his findings to the D.A.'s office not long after he was appointed to his position, culminating in an investigation that uncovered numerous instances between December 2013 and February 2017 when Newberry allegedly used the organization's debit card to pay his bills and amortize other debts, prosecutors said. </div>
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The alleged theft of members' dues payments totaled $17,000, according to the agency.</div>
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Through additional scrutiny of Newberry's transactions, it was determined that the defendant had allegedly drained $23,000 from the Roosevelt High Climate Booster Club.</div>
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Newberry is a prior member of the Corona-Norco Unified School District Board of Education. He has no documented prior felony or misdemeanor convictions.</div>
Milwaukee CPAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13150752654997656043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5843938828529705382.post-67158510921856805372019-10-03T09:52:00.002-07:002019-10-03T09:52:38.204-07:00FTCC instructor arrested on embezzlement charges in North Carolina<br />
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A welding instructor at Fayetteville Tech Community College was arrested on Monday and charged with embezzlement.</div>
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Fayetteville police arrested Jason Carl Tilley, 32, of the 4500 block of Dunn Road, on charges of embezzlement of school property valued at over $10,000, according to arrest warrants.</div>
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Tilley sold the welding equipment throughout Cumberland, the arrest warrants state. When confronted about the stolen property, he confessed to FTCC officers, according to the warrants.</div>
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Tilley is a welding instructor at FTCC and has been employed with the college since Dec. of 2017. He has been suspended without pay, according to college officials.</div>
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The owners of Carolina Pawn Shop notified a school employee of the suspected theft. The FTCC office of public safety and security investigated the alleged theft, and Fayetteville police were notified according to college officials.</div>
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Tilley was given an unsecured bail at $8,000.</div>
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Milwaukee CPAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13150752654997656043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5843938828529705382.post-8349477760333986192019-10-03T09:49:00.003-07:002019-10-03T09:49:58.763-07:00Charges dismissed against one of two accused in Cedar Springs Youth Football embezzlement in Michigan<div class="article__paragraph--left" id="V6UG3JNMTRGPJCFATQL7LBEKHA" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; font-family: "Benton Sans", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.55rem; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; letter-spacing: 0.013em; line-height: 1.6; margin-bottom: 16px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
Charges have been dismissed against one of two people accused of taking money from the Cedar Springs Youth Football organization.</div>
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Kent County prosecutors late last month dismissed charges against 48-year-old James Michael Crouch.</div>
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Crouch and Heather Vaughn were charged in July 2018 with embezzlement between $1,000 and $20,000. Both were on the Cedar Springs Youth Football board in 2017.</div>
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Vaughn was set for trial Oct. 7 but her case now is adjourned to February, court officials say.</div>
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Police said up to $12,000 went missing from proceeds collected in the 2017 football season.</div>
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Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker said the decision to dismiss charges against Crouch came after prosecutors reviewed all the evidence.</div>
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They decided there was “insufficient evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Mr. Crouch embezzled anything.”</div>
Milwaukee CPAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13150752654997656043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5843938828529705382.post-584921517652812152019-10-03T09:48:00.002-07:002019-10-03T09:48:46.747-07:00Pair plea in embezzlement of youth football league funds in West Virginia<div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 27px; margin-bottom: 24px;">
A Bloomingrose couple pled in Boone County Circuit Court on Sept. 30 regarding a 14-month investigation into missing funds from the now defunct Seth Midget Football League.</div>
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Jeremy Johnson pled guilty to the misdemeanor offense of embezzlement and faces up to a year in jail. Pamela Johnson pled guilty to the felony offense of embezzlement and faces not less than one nor more than 10 years in prison. They are scheduled to return to court on Nov. 13. Details regarding any agreement for repaying the stolen funds was not available.</div>
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Between June 2014 and July 2018, the couple served as president and treasurer for the Seth Midget Football League. During this time they had unfettered access to the finances of the organization. The league folded in June 2018.</div>
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Investigator Captain David Sutphin with the Boone County Sheriff’s Office was focused on specific areas including suspicious ATM withdraws, "cash back" after purchases of other items at multiple retailers and more than $1,100 spent in South Carolina while vacationing at Myrtle Beach, which came after a vacation to Disney in Florida. The suspicious transactions all took place using a debit card in the league's name. Sutphin said that he is pleased with the results of the court proceedings.</div>
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"I think a felony embezzlement on her and a misdemeanor embezzlement on him is a good outcome from everything I looked at in my investigation," he said. “I’m pleased with that result.”</div>
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Sutphin had given of his own money to the league and even helped arrange fundraising events including one in Madison where Mayor Sonny Howell and the city council gave full access of the Madison Civic Center to the league for a fundraising event. </div>
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The Captain became suspicious of the league when he heard that their numbers were down and he knew that over 80 kids participated the season before. He also was given a tip from a concerned volunteer that things may not be as they seemed.</div>
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Sutphin said that the most painstaking aspect of the investigation was combing through the bank records of both the league and the Johnsons.</div>
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“It was the bank records,” he said. “I had to go through five years of complete records for the league and the Johnsons’ personal account,” he said. “Then, matching things that they said they bought with the associated receipts. That took the most time. I went through thousands of grocery receipts and had to determine what was used for personal use and what was used for the league. I used menus from the events matched up with the associated dates, which were provided by the public. I got subpoenas and search warrant for every store they purchased items at.”</div>
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The purchases were made with the league’s debit card for the account at Whitesville State Bank.</div>
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Sutphin’s report showed $14,594 in cash withdraws, $4,640 in cash-back transactions, $1,000 in checks made out to cash, $22,647.04 spent at Sam’s Club, $3,310.83 spent at Kroger, $2,702.38 spent at Wal Mart and $1,159.43 spent on a Myrtle Beach vacation. The couple spent $550.66 at Lowe’s and $225.45 at the Country Store in Seth.</div>
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A total of $25,588.52 in league money was deposited into the Johnson’s personal bank account.</div>
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Sutphin’s comprehensive investigation reveals that only $7,754.83 in receipts could be recovered from Sam’s Club and of those receipts a total of $860 came via cash-back transactions. The couple received $640 in club membership cash rewards.</div>
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Only $1,340.33 could be documented through receipts at Wal Mart while $400 was obtained in cash-back transactions at the retailer.</div>
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At Kroger, $644.25 in receipts were recovered with $200 in cash-back transactions documented.</div>
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Additionally, a significant amount of cash was not deposited during the 2017 calendar year making it impossible to document the total of monies taken during that time period.</div>
Milwaukee CPAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13150752654997656043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5843938828529705382.post-13710013006233178032019-10-03T09:47:00.002-07:002019-10-03T09:47:13.932-07:00Fort Myers teacher accused of stealing money from drama students in Florida<div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #313131; font-family: Averta, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
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A Fort Myers High School teacher is being investigated for stealing money raised by drama students.</div>
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The teacher, Laura Licata, headed District 6 of the Florida Thespians group, which includes 30 schools and 700 students in the district from Bradenton to Marco Island.</div>
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It's so serious that the state organization dissolved the district that the students first participate in before moving on to the state competition.</div>
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This doesn't mean they still can't participate in upcoming events. But they will now have to travel to other districts around the state.</div>
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<span style="font-size: 18px;">Students call that disappointing and feel like the Florida thespians are closing the curtain on students in District 6.</span></div>
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Students at Cypress Lake High School are continuing to practice although their future is uncertain because their district was dissolved.</div>
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“We found out in class, and all of our faces just dropped. We were devastated,” explained JJ Fuentes.</div>
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Licata has been removed from the classroom.</div>
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<span style="font-size: 18px;">“It's one person, and now we're all getting crapped on for it,” expressed Carlos Robbins, one of the students affected.</span></div>
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He is referring to 700 drama students in 30 private and public schools, which make up District 6 in Southwest Florida.</div>
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“We've been preparing these pieces for months and months now,” noted Abbey Corcoran.</div>
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The Executive Director for the International Thespian Society, Julie Cohen, said every student will still have an opportunity to participate at the district level.</div>
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“They'll have to travel to a different location. For some students, it actually will be close to their home school. For some it may be a little further,” Cohen said.</div>
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Gwynetta Gittens, chair of the Lee County School Board, said that is a concern.</div>
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“And to think that would be taken away from them... we just can't have that,” Gittens said.</div>
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The students, though, refuse to give up.</div>
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“At the end of the day, I think we just need to be hopeful and look forward,” said Ricardo Bocanegra.</div>
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The school district confirmed it is investigating Licata's management of the checkbook.</div>
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Sources close to the investigation said that nearly $40,000 is missing from the District 6 account.</div>
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The school district says it will turn over the investigation to the Department of Education and law enforcement.</div>
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Milwaukee CPAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13150752654997656043noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5843938828529705382.post-35435284982238096562019-10-03T09:45:00.000-07:002019-10-03T09:45:09.913-07:00Indictment clouds appointment at Dolores schools in California<div class="article-element " style="background-color: #fefefe; box-sizing: inherit; color: #0a0a0a; font-family: proxima-nova, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
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The new secondary dean of students in Dolores School District Re-4A is facing embezzlement charges by the San Diego District Attorney’s Office, but school administrators hope he will be exonerated soon and have expressed full support of his hiring.</div>
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Justin Schmitt, 36, is one of 11 defendants in a case involving a $50 million charter school fraud, although his attorney Eric Beste emphasized that Schmitt was a salaried employee and not an owner of the company, and that no one has yet been convicted in this case</div>
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He began working for Re-4A on Aug. 12, replacing outgoing dean and athletic director John Marchino, who now works for the Mancos School District Re-6. There were nine candidates for the position, five of whom were interviewed, according to Doreen Jones, finance director with the district.</div>
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Superintendent Lis Richard said Schmitt went through a thorough vetting process that included legal consultation, background checks, an interview committee and board approval.</div>
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She told parents in a letter dated Sept. 26 that he is “an extraordinary administrator.”</div>
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“I promise you that we are aware of anything you may have heard and we stand by him in full support,” Richard wrote in the letter. In an email Wednesday, she reiterated those points, adding that he is “the right person for our secondary dean of students position. His passion, dedication and wisdom are exemplary.”</div>
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She encouraged parents who had questions about Schmitt to visit her.</div>
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Efforts to reach Dolores School Board President Kay Phelps have not been returned.</div>
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Schmitt declined to comment for this article, citing his attorneys’ advisement. According to the indictment, he faces about a dozen criminal charges, including conspiracy to commit a crime and misappropriation of public money. He could face a maximum sentence of 11 years in custody.</div>
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The case in question involves two alleged ringleaders – Sean McManus and Jason Schrock – who opened 19 online charter schools and allegedly used them to embezzle $50 million in state funds, according to a statement released by the San Diego District Attorney’s Office.</div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: grad, Georgia, serif; font-size: 1.125rem;">The 235-page indictment was handed down by a grand jury May 17 after a yearlong investigation by the district attorney’s office. Overall, it lists several criminal counts, including conspiracy, misappropriation of public funds, paying for student information and conflict of interest.</span></h3>
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Much of the alleged fraud involved falsifying enrollment counts in order to secure additional state funding, according to the statement released by the San Diego District Attorney’s Office. The indictment charges the defendants with seeking out small school districts and proposing they authorize online charter schools, in order for A3 to earn more public funds in the form of oversight fees.</div>
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Additionally, the indictment states, they paid pre-existing athletic programs for enrollment documentation and then enrolled students in a charter school during the summer, collecting about $2,000 per student from the state of California.</div>
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Other components of the alleged scheme involved backdating student enrollment information, dually enrolling students from private schools to the charter schools, and transferring students from one school to another, again to collect additional state funding, which is partially determined by average daily attendance.</div>
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The indictment alleges that Schmitt was involved in several components of the fraud and accuses him of multiple counts of conspiracy to commit a crime and misappropriation of public money.</div>
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On one count, it alleges that he “committed two or more related felonies” related to “the taking and resulted in the loss by another person and entity of more than five hundred thousand dollars.”</div>
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His attorney, Eric Beste, working for Barnes & Thornburgh LLP, said he could not comment on much of Schmitt’s case because of the ongoing litigation, but he emphasized that Schmitt was a salaried employee and not an A3 business owner.</div>
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“There’s been some comments in the media about people making millions and millions of dollars in this business,” Beste said. “There may be other people who fall into that category, but that’s not Justin.”</div>
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He said Schmitt pleaded not guilty.</div>
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Schmitt is a product of Dolores High School himself, according to his online bio. After graduating from Fort Lewis College, he served as a teacher and then an administrator in both physical and online schools, according to a motion filed by his attorneys.</div>
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He held leadership roles with Mosaica Online Academy, which ran into financial difficulties. Many of the management contracts for Mosaica’s online schools were purchased by Foundation Learning, which retained Schmitt to continue operating some of the schools.</div>
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The online schools were eventually renamed “Valiant Academy.” A3 purchased the Valiant schools in California in early 2017, according to the motion.</div>
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The San Diego district attorney has charged 11 defendants – some of whom are employees and some of whom are just associates, Beste said.</div>
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“Everybody’s under pleas of not guilty,” he said. “No one has admitted anything; no one’s been convicted of anything yet.”</div>
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Beste is contesting the allegations and is in conversations with the San Diego District Attorney’s Office, he said. The district attorney’s office is aware of Schmitt’s new post in Dolores and has raised no objections, he added.</div>
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Currently, the next proceedings in this case are scheduled at 9:30 a.m. Oct. 30 in the San Diego Superior Court, Central Division, Central Courthouse.</div>
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<span class="mwc_subheads" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: black; display: block; font-size: 1.125rem; font-weight: 600; margin: 1rem 0px;">Leadership changes in Dolores</span>The Dolores School District has experienced a tumultuous few years in terms of leadership changes. In May 2018, Scott Cooper resigned as superintendent of the district to take a job as assistant superintendent of Mesa Valley County School District 51 in Grand Junction.</div>
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Phil Kasper assumed the job of interim superintendent a few months later, and Lis Richard, hired in May for the post, began working for the district July 1. Prior to coming to Dolores, Richard served as superintendent in the Creede School District.</div>
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In other leadership changes, the district also lost both elementary and secondary principals in recent months. Elementary Principal Gary Livick announced his resignation late February, and Secondary Principal Jen Hufman just a few weeks ago – her last day was Sept. 30.</div>
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Richard addressed the recent changes, in particular the resignation of Hufman, in her letter to parents. “We do not plan to put anyone in place as an interim principal,” she wrote. “We currently have staff that can fill in and cover needed areas until we hire a new principal. There have been many interested in the position and we begin interviews the week of October 7.”</div>
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She added too that Schmitt has applied for the principal position. “He will be considered in a fair and non biased manner as all of the candidates will,” she wrote.</div>
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Milwaukee CPAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13150752654997656043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5843938828529705382.post-20328041796682207742019-10-03T09:40:00.003-07:002019-10-03T09:40:50.013-07:00Former Atascadero High band booster club treasurer to serve jail time for embezzlement <div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 19px;">
The woman who admitted to embezzling thousands of dollars from the Atascadero High School Band and Pageantry Booster Club was sentenced Wednesday to about six months in jail and three years of probation.</div>
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While holding back tears, Sherry Gong told the court, “I feel so sorry.”</div>
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San Luis Obispo County Superior Court Judge Jacquelyn Duffy handed down the sentence to Gong while denying the request for the minimum sentence of about 10-30 days in jail and a motion that would reduce the crime from a felony to misdemeanor.</div>
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Gong <span class="Enhancement"><span class="Enhancement-item"><a class="Link" href="https://www.ksby.com/news/local-news/former-atascadero-high-band-booster-club-treasurer-pleads-guilty-to-embezzlement" style="color: #005687; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.4s ease 0s;" target="_blank">pleaded guilty</a></span> </span>in August to three charges of embezzlement filed against her.</div>
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The criminal complaint alleges she stole a total of $32,554 from the organization on three different occasions between July 2017 and April 2018 while serving as treasurer of the Atascadero High School club.</div>
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Gong’s attorney, Guy Galambos, said his client has no criminal history and that she approached the director of the band before police were made aware of the missing funds, but was turned away.</div>
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A statement from a booster club member that was read in court Wednesday said, “The embezzlement crime destroyed our financial security.”</div>
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The club claims it was unable to offer scholarships due to lack of funds.</div>
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“Sherry Gong was trusted… She also betrayed the high school, community,” the statement read, continuing, “Sherry Gong knew what she was doing when she took from the kids.”</div>
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After charges were filed against her in July, Gong <span class="Enhancement"><span class="Enhancement-item"><a class="Link" href="https://www.ksby.com/news/local-news/2019/07/08/former-atascadero-high-band-booster-club-treasurer-charged-with-embezzlement" style="color: #005687; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.4s ease 0s;" target="_blank">admitted</a></span> </span>to taking the money. Galambos said a close family member had begged her for money, saying he needed it as a matter "of life or death." Galambos said before an investigation began, Gong was already raising money from other family members and selling personal jewelry with the intent to pay back the funds.</div>
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She is scheduled to begin serving her 180-day sentence Dec. 2.</div>
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Gong was also ordered to not volunteer or be employed in a capacity where she has financial responsibilities.</div>
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Gong is the wife of San Luis Obispo County Clerk-Recorder Tommy Gong.</div>
Milwaukee CPAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13150752654997656043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5843938828529705382.post-6008519637013011622019-10-03T09:28:00.004-07:002019-10-03T09:28:51.479-07:00 Man accused of embezzling $64000 from wrestling clubs in Wyoming<div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Roboto; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 10px !important;">
The man acting as treasurer of two local youth wrestling clubs is accused of stealing a total of $64,827 since 2017.</div>
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Steven D. Johnson, 44, made his initial appearance on two counts of felony theft Monday afternoon in Circuit Court.</div>
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The maximum penalty on each count is 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.</div>
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Johnson became treasurer of the Gillette Wrestling Club in October 2017 and of the Camel Kids Wrestling Club in June 2018.</div>
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He was part of the latter club’s organization for almost 13 years and been on the board for most of that time, according to an affidavit of probable cause filed in the case.</div>
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In late August, the Camel Kids Wrestling Club had gathered evidence about Johnson’s alleged use of the club’s debit card for personal use, many of the charges made on Amazon and at Walmart, but not for club purposes. The board confronted Johnson about the charges and he allegedly admitted to spending the club’s money for his personal use, according to the affidavit.</div>
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He agreed to pay back the $11,000 that the club thought at that time that was missing.</div>
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But board members decided to report the embezzlement to police instead after learning that he also was allegedly embezzling from the Gillette Wrestling Club, according to the affidavit.</div>
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The Gillette Wrestling Club discovered Aug. 31 that its account at Wells Fargo Bank was closed because it was overdrawn. Board members also learned he’d drained a different account at Campco Federal Credit Union and had opened a new account at Pinnacle Bank with a $4,000 donation to the account and it is in arrears, according to the affidavit of probable cause.</div>
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She began to investigate and found some fraudulent charges that totaled $11,170 on the club’s debit card in August.</div>
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But as the club continued to investigate, it found more money missing, according to the affidavit. The money generated from two raffles and registration fees also came up short. The total deposited should have been at a minimum $63,180, but only $47,000 had been deposited — a difference the club attributed to cash payments.</div>
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Between the debit card payments and the short deposits, the club figured it lost $26,650.</div>
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For the Gillette Wrestling Club, the board found $30,167 worth of fraudulent withdrawals from two bank accounts, which Sifuentes said were spent on a variety of things from contact lenses to city utility bills to Amazon orders to hotel rooms at tournaments.</div>
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It also lost the $4,000 deposit at Pinnacle plus was at least $1,937 in the red on it. It also found another $2,073 that hadn’t been deposited from a recent fundraising event.</div>
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The two clubs vowed to continue to operate even though it may take more donations to make that happen.</div>
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“We teach these kids that sometimes they may be down, but never out, and the same is true for our entire program,” Johnson wrote.</div>
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Lico Sifuentes, president of the Gillette Wrestling Club, said they were shocked to find the account empty at Wells Fargo.</div>
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“(Board member) Denise (Igo) was in tears and I was almost in tears,” he said. “I don’t know how somebody could do this.”</div>
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Johnson would come to board meetings with information about the accounts, but “we never made him prove anything” — something in hindsight he said every board should do. The bills were paid, so they had no reason to believe that the money wasn’t where he said it would be, Sifuentes added.</div>
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He now believes that all nonprofit clubs should ask to see the actual bank statements, that each should demand that two people from the club should be listed on banking accounts and that banks shouldn’t be allowed to open a non-profit account without at least two people from the club signing off on it.</div>
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The Gillette Wrestling Club said that it has made changes to its organization to ensure that it doesn’t happen again, it said in a letter.</div>
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The group hosts the annual Pat Weede Memorial Wrestling Tournament, offers local scholarships for wrestlers from both Campbell County and Thunder Basin high schools and covers travel expenses for local wrestlers competing at the national level.</div>
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The money that Johnson is accused of taking came from donations and fundraisers, not the Campbell County Public Recreation District Rec Mill grant, which is still intact, the club said in a letter.</div>
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“We are saddened by this deceit,” the club said. “However, we are going to move forward to get to the bottom of the financial issues, in addition to making the needed preparations for a successful Pat Weede Memorial Tournament in December 2019.</div>
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“Gillette Wrestling and Camel Kids have been helping wrestlers in this community for many years. And, with the help of the multitude of wonderful people surrounding us, the good work of these organizations will continue for the youth of our community,” the board said.</div>
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Mike Johnson, Camel Kids chairman, said in a letter that to discover the money missing “was particularly shocking” because it was allegedly taken “by a person within both the organizations who was in a position of great trust. It is this that hurts the most.”</div>
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“Despite this huge setback, we will not allow any criminal act to defeat our spirit or the continuation of either Camel Kids or the great work of Gillette Wrestling,” wrote Johnson, who is not related to Steven.</div>
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The Camel Kids Club believes that the thefts began about a week after Johnson was elected treasurer. A board member was alerted to problems in May when a Casper hotel called to report that it hadn’t received payment for rooms that were reserved for an upcoming event. Johnson said he would take care of it. But it still hadn’t been paid a few days later when the board member got a second call from the hotel, according to the affidavit.</div>
Milwaukee CPAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13150752654997656043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5843938828529705382.post-22496217368009686312019-10-03T09:20:00.005-07:002019-10-03T09:20:57.839-07:00Grand jury indicts former Lafayette High School principal on charge of felony embezzlement in Virginia<div class="crd clln--it" data-type="text" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">
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Four months after Kimberly Hollemon resigned as principal of Lafayette High School, a grand jury in the Williamsburg-James City County Circuit Court indicted her on a single count of felony embezzlement.</div>
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Hollemon, 49 of Providence Forge, was initially placed on administrative leave by the Williamsburg-James City County School Division in April and she resigned May 2. The grand jury handed down the indictment on Sept. 18, according to Williamsburg-James City County Circuit Court filings.</div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 18px;">James City County Police Department spokeswoman Stephanie Williams said a person at the school division called police about suspected embezzlement.T</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 18px;">he person alleged Hollemon used the school division’s credit card to make purchases, Williams said. Investigators discovered Hollemon used the card repeatedly to purchase items for her personal use.</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 18px;">Hollemon turned herself into the James City County Police Department on Sept. 24 around 4:15 p.m. after the police department had a warrant for her arrest issued on Sept. 20, according to the filings.</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 18px;">Hollemon was transported to the Virginia Peninsula Regional Jail and released on a $1,000 unsecured bond due to her “ample ties to this community," according to the bond order.</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 18px;">When reached for comment, Hollemon said “You can contact my attorney,” before she ended the phone call.</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 18px;">Hollemon’s attorney Travis Williams of Chesterfield said he intended to enter a not guilty plea on her behalf, and that she was stunned by the accusations against her.</span></div>
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“My client is a lifelong educator with a pristine background, who has always put the kids first and always worked to help them,” Williams said. “She was shocked when these allegations came out, and we will vigorously fight them because my client would never violate that position of trust.”</div>
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Williams also said that Hollemon wanted to thank some members of the community for words of support she had received since April, including from parents and students.</div>
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According to Williamsburg-James City County School Division spokeswoman Eileen Cox, a principal can make purchases at his or her discretion. The school’s bookkeeper does not sign off on those purchases and they are submitted directly to the finance department. As the audit of Hollemon’s spending began, the school division instituted a new policy where purchases had to be signed off on by an assistant superintendent.</div>
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The purchases, item descriptions and vendors listed in the spending reports did not appear to be out of line with what is normally used in the school, Cox said Thursday. “It was after staff members at the school raised attention to irregularities, that what was being purchased was not being used at the school, that we began our investigation."</div>
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“This is not a case of (the finance department) knowing about it for months.”</div>
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Cox said while the allegations against Hollemon were reported to the police department in April, she was unsure of when the school division became aware of the allegations.</div>
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<a href="https://www.vagazette.com/news/va-vg-lafayette-new-principal-20180519-story.html" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #005f7e; cursor: pointer; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; line-height: 18px;">Hollemon had served as principal of Lafayette since May</a> 2018, having first served as the school’s interim principal starting in August 2017, after the former principal Anita Swinton, resigned to take a position in W-JCC’s central office.</div>
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After her resignation, Hollemon was hired to work at John Tyler Community College about two weeks ago, according to the court filings.</div>
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If convicted, Hollemon faces as much as 20 years in prison and $2,500 in fines, according to the Virginia Code.</div>
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Milwaukee CPAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13150752654997656043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5843938828529705382.post-16168484718592947512019-10-03T09:16:00.000-07:002019-10-03T09:24:09.751-07:00Calhoun County Church and Catholic School Bookkeeper Accused of Embezzlement in Alabama<div style="background-color: #e7d9ce; border: 0px rgb(238, 238, 238); font-family: "Droid Sans"; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;">
According to Information in a news release issued this week by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Birmingham – the bookkeeper for a Calhoun County church and Catholic school is facing up to 20 years in federal prison – and a quarter-of-a-million dollar fine – after being accused of embezzlement.</div>
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Angela Cheatwood, age 41, has been charged with wire fraud after she allegedly took nearly $450,000, including stealing from school fundraisers and donations,</div>
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She is the bookkeeper for Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church and Sacred Heart School in Anniston.</div>
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Prosecutors claim Cheatwood wrote unauthorized checks to her personal account from the church’s bank account and stole cash from school fundraisers and donations meant for the school and deposited that money into her bank account.</div>
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The U.S. Secret Service assisted the Birmingham U.S. Attorney’s Office on the case.</div>
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The statement did not list a court date.</div>
Milwaukee CPAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13150752654997656043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5843938828529705382.post-30555603853967746022019-03-07T14:26:00.002-08:002019-03-07T14:26:14.897-08:00Ex-school administrator charged with embezzlement<div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #444444; font-family: FranklinITCProLight, "Helvetica Neue Light", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Roboto, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 27px; margin-bottom: 24px;">
The former administrator of Cimarron Montessori School was charged Monday with three felony counts of embezzlement accusing her of taking more than $25,000 from the school over a six-year period, <a href="https://www.enidnews.com/affidavit/pdf_2cc5c158-3f97-11e9-82ef-37aeeed5a61d.html" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1955a5;" target="_blank">records show</a>.</div>
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Deborah Cribley, 45, appeared Tuesday morning before Special District Judge Brian Lovell with her attorney Steve Cameron, online court records show. Cribley posted a $1,000 bond and will appear Thursday for arraignment of the charges.</div>
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One of the charges accuses Cribley of taking more than $25,000 from the school between January 2012 and March 2018. She faces up to 10 years in prison, a fine of up to $10,000 and restitution on that embezzlement charge. She faces up to five years in prison, a fine of up to $5,000 and restitution on the other two charges, accusing her of taking more than $1,000 from one of the school's bank accounts and the school's Walmart credit card, <a href="https://www.enidnews.com/affidavhttps://www.enidnews.com/affidavit/pdf_2cc5c158-3f97-11e9-82ef-37aeeed5a61d.htmlit/pdf_2cc5c158-3f97-11e9-82ef-37aeeed5a61d.html" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1955a5;" target="_blank">records show</a>.</div>
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On April 17, 2018, police met with Deborah Wilczek and Tara Ramos, two members of the board of trustees for Cimarron Montessori School.</div>
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Wilczek told Detective Brad Pritchett in November 2017 the school was in a financial bind, <a href="https://www.enidnews.com/affidavhttps://www.enidnews.com/affidavit/pdf_2cc5c158-3f97-11e9-82ef-37aeeed5a61d.htmlit/pdf_2cc5c158-3f97-11e9-82ef-37aeeed5a61d.html" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1955a5;" target="_blank">according to an affidavit filed in the case</a>. She said she for the first time the school may not be able to make payroll. She said the board began working with Cribley to go over the financials.</div>
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Wilczek said in February 2018, the board found several discrepancies in the financials that were not explainable, <a href="https://www.enidnews.com/affidavhttps://www.enidnews.com/affidavit/pdf_2cc5c158-3f97-11e9-82ef-37aeeed5a61d.htmlit/pdf_2cc5c158-3f97-11e9-82ef-37aeeed5a61d.html" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1955a5;" target="_blank">according to the affidavit</a>. She said at a March 2018 board meeting members asked Cribley for the school's bank statements to see what was happening.</div>
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<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">Obvious</strong> <strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">discrepancies</strong></div>
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On April 2, 2018, the board met to review the financial documents from August 2017 to March 2018. Wilczek said there were obvious discrepancies, <a href="https://www.enidnews.com/affidavhttps://www.enidnews.com/affidavit/pdf_2cc5c158-3f97-11e9-82ef-37aeeed5a61d.htmlit/pdf_2cc5c158-3f97-11e9-82ef-37aeeed5a61d.html" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1955a5;" target="_blank">according to the affidavit</a>. Wilczek said the board met with Cribley and told her she could resign or they would terminate her.</div>
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Wilczek told police since April 2, 2018, the board began to look into the financials for Cimarron Montessori. She said when the statement for the school's Walmart card arrived, they noticed charges for makeup, self tanner and other items purchased that were not for the school, according to the affidavit<a href="https://www.enidnews.com/affidavhttps://www.enidnews.com/affidavit/pdf_2cc5c158-3f97-11e9-82ef-37aeeed5a61d.htmlit/pdf_2cc5c158-3f97-11e9-82ef-37aeeed5a61d.html" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1955a5;" target="_blank">. Ramos said while reviewing the school's Central National Bank and Alva State Bank & Trust docu</a>ments, they found where Cribley was paying her personal Dillard's credit card with school funds, according to the affidavit.</div>
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Ramos said when they confronted Cribley about this, she claimed in her role as an administrator one of her jobs was to buy future silent auction items, <a href="https://www.enidnews.com/affidavhttps://www.enidnews.com/affidavit/pdf_2cc5c158-3f97-11e9-82ef-37aeeed5a61d.htmlit/pdf_2cc5c158-3f97-11e9-82ef-37aeeed5a61d.html" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1955a5;" target="_blank">according to the affidavit</a>. Ramos said Cribley said she was buying the items on clearance. Wilczek and Ramos told police the only documentation they had ever seen as a board in relation to finances had come from a QuickBooks program.</div>
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The women told police there was only one debit card for the CNB account and only one Walmart card, <a href="https://www.enidnews.com/affidavhttps://www.enidnews.com/affidavit/pdf_2cc5c158-3f97-11e9-82ef-37aeeed5a61d.htmlit/pdf_2cc5c158-3f97-11e9-82ef-37aeeed5a61d.html" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1955a5;" target="_blank">according to the affidavit</a>. They said Cribley was the only one to have those cards.</div>
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On April 19, 2018, Pritchett met with Cribley, her husband, Kenny Cribley, and Cameron, her attorney, <a href="https://www.enidnews.com/affidavhttps://www.enidnews.com/affidavit/pdf_2cc5c158-3f97-11e9-82ef-37aeeed5a61d.htmlit/pdf_2cc5c158-3f97-11e9-82ef-37aeeed5a61d.html" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1955a5;" target="_blank">records show</a>.</div>
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Pritchett asked Cribley to tell him about her position as administrator and why she left the school, <a href="https://www.enidnews.com/affidavhttps://www.enidnews.com/affidavit/pdf_2cc5c158-3f97-11e9-82ef-37aeeed5a61d.htmlit/pdf_2cc5c158-3f97-11e9-82ef-37aeeed5a61d.html" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1955a5;" target="_blank">according to the affidavit</a>. Cribley said at a March 26, 2018, board meeting it was discussed that a teacher might have to be laid off because of the school's financial situation. She said the board requested she get all of the financial documents together so the board could review them. She said she gave the board the documents March 30, 2018.</div>
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Cribley said a meeting was held April 2, 2018, and the board asked her about a couple of transactions she did not have receipts for, <a href="https://www.enidnews.com/affidavhttps://www.enidnews.com/affidavit/pdf_2cc5c158-3f97-11e9-82ef-37aeeed5a61d.htmlit/pdf_2cc5c158-3f97-11e9-82ef-37aeeed5a61d.html" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1955a5;" target="_blank">according to the affidavit</a>. Cribley said after the meeting she was given the option to resign from her position or she would be fired. Cribley said she opted to resign.</div>
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When asked by Pritchett, Cribley confirmed she was responsible for Cimarron Montessori's bank accounts, according to the affidavit. Pritchett asked if anyone assisted her with those duties. Cribley said the only time anyone else was involved was when a teacher would buy something for the school on their personal bank account, then she would reimburse the teacher. She said she was the only one with control over the school's bank accounts.</div>
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Cribley said the school has three accounts: an operating account through CNB, a fundraising account through Alva State Bank and a money market account at Security National Bank, according to the affidavit. Cribley said there was a debit card and credit card kept in a lock box in her office. When asked who had access to the cards, Cribley said, "Just myself."</div>
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Pritchett told Cribley one of the accusations from the board was she was misusing the school's debit and credit card. He asked if she had ever misused or purchased any personal items for herself on either card, according to the affidavit. Cribley said as far as misuse of the cards, she replied, "No, sir." He asked Cribley if she ever purchased personal items with the cards. Cribley said if she purchased any personal items with the cards, she would reimburse the school by making a deposit in the school's bank account.</div>
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Cribley said the school board allowed her to make purchases of personal items on the school's debit and credit card as long as she reimbursed the school for the charges, according to the affidavit. Pritchett asked Cribley if she ever purchased personal items on the school's cards. She said she was sure there times she had done this, but she could not recall.</div>
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Cribley said she was confronted by the board about using the cards for personal use, according to the affidavit. She said she told the board she could go through all the receipts, but the board would not give her access to them.</div>
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Pritchett told Cribley he had some Cimarron Montessori Walmart credit card statements he wanted to go over with her. He showed Cribley a charge for Rotel Diced Tomatoes, and Cribley said it might have been purchased for a fundraiser, according to the affidavit. He showed her charges for barbecue pizza, Totino's Pizza, Little Smokies and grilled chicken breast. Cribley said those items might have been food they were keeping at the refrigerator at the school.</div>
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When shown a charge for Axe body spray, Cribley said, "I have no idea," according to the affidavit. She was shown a charge for diced onions and cut okra, and Cribley said it was for the lunch program. When shown a charge to tanning lotion, Cribley again said, "I have no idea."</div>
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Pritchett showed Cribley a charge for an Apple TV for $159. Cribley said that was probably a personal purchase, according to the affidavit.</div>
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Pritchett asked Cribley how often she would use the Walmart card for personal use, according to the affidavit. Cribley said she kept track of her personal purchases. She said when the Walmart bill would come in, she would write a personal check for her part of the bill. She said if she did not send a personal check with the bill, she would write one to the school.</div>
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Cameron asked Cribley if this was a common practice since she had been employed with the school, and she stated, "Yeah," according to the affidavit. Pritchett asked Cribley if the school was aware she was using the Walmart card for her personal use, and Cribley said they should have been.</div>
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<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">Fraudulent charges</strong></div>
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During the investigation, Pritchett spoke with Kay Chatterji, who served as vice president and president of the Cimarron Montessori board of directors.</div>
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He asked Chatterji if it has ever been approved that the school administrator could use school funds for personal purchases, according to the affidavit. Chatterji said "no."</div>
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He told Chatterji when he spoke with Cribley, she said the board knew she was making personal purchases with school funds, according to the affidavit. He also told Chatterji that Cribley said the board allowed her to do this as long as she paid the money back by the end of the fiscal year. Chatterji said she has never heard of anything like that.</div>
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Pritchett reviewed the charges on the Walmart credit card using statements from Nov. 5, 2015, to March 3, 2018, according to the affidavit. The total amount of fraudulent charges on the Walmart card is $6,407.55.</div>
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Pritchett told Cribley he wanted to go over the school’s CNB account, providing her with a statement for January 2018, according to the affidavit. The first charge was to Chick-Fil-A for $42.12.</div>
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Cribley said she keeps a general ledger of transactions, and she advised the board of this. Pritchett asked Cribley if the board knew she was using the debit card to make personal purchases, and she said, “I don’t think they did.” Cribley said past boards knew she was doing this. She said her reimbursements for using the debit and credit cards were due by the end of the fiscal year, which was in July.</div>
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Pritchett asked Cribley how long she had been using the school’s debit and credit cards, according to the affidavit. She said is depended and said she had spent more on personal items in 2018 than she had in the past.</div>
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Pritchett asked Cribley if she ever used the Alva State Bank account for personal use. Cribley said she would have to go back through and look, according to the affidavit. Pritchett asked Cribley if she would be able to provide documentation showing the reimbursements. Cribley said, “Hopefully, I can.”</div>
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She said when she reimbursed the school she would put the money into the Alva State Bank account, according to the affidavit. Pritchett asked if the reimbursement would be a personal check from her and Cribley said, “Right.”</div>
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When asked how many personal checks she’d written the school since 2009, Cribley said she had no idea.</div>
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Pritchett asked Cribley if she ever made any personal credit card payments with school funds, and she said she had, according to the affidavit. Cribley said she had made payments on her Dillard’s credit card, JCPenney credit card and Old Navy credit card. She said the payments were from using her personal credit cards to purchase silent auction items for the school.</div>
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<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">Review of accounts</strong></div>
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Pritchett reviewed the SNB personal checking account for Cribley and her husband for checks written to Cimarron Montessori that were relevant to the investigation, according to the affidavit. There were five checks written <a href="https://www.enidnews.com/affidavhttps://www.enidnews.com/affidavit/pdf_2cc5c158-3f97-11e9-82ef-37aeeed5a61d.htmlit/pdf_2cc5c158-3f97-11e9-82ef-37aeeed5a61d.html" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1955a5;" target="_blank">listed in the affidavit.</a></div>
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• On Aug. 8, 2010, Cribley wrote a check to Cimarron Montessori in the amount of $3,350. The memo line of the check states, “Cash/temp loan/full repayment.”</div>
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• On Jan. 21, 2011, Cribley wrote a check to “Cash” in the amount of $960. The memo of the check states, “School reimbursement-Alva.”</div>
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• On July 20, 2011, Cribley wrote a check to Cimarron Montessori School in the amount of $700. The memo of the check states, “Repayment/deposit.”</div>
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• On July 20, 2011, Cribley wrote a check for “Cash Withdrawal” in the amount of $200. The memo states, “CMS petty cash repayment.”</div>
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• On Dec. 22, 2011, Cribley wrote a check to “Cash” in the amount of $235. The memo of the check states, “Silent Auction/Petty Cash.”</div>
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Pritchett reviewed the Cimarron Montessori School CNB account from Jan. 1, 2018, to March 31, 2018, according to the affidavit. The amount of unauthorized charges made by Cribley from the account in that time is $3,782.91.</div>
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A review of the account between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31, 2017, found Cribley wrote made a total of $20,093 charges to the account, according to the affidavit. There were also checks in the amount of $350 to JCP/Synchrony Bank and $288.95 to Uptown Florist written by Cribley from the account.</div>
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Pritchett also found a printed email for Life Touch School portraits, according to the affidavit. The email was a receipt for an order placed Oct. 11, 2017, by Cribley in the amount of $77 using the Cimarron Montessori debit card, according to the affidavit. Another email was printed out for <a href="http://jostens.com/" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1955a5;">Jostens.com</a> for the purchase of 25 cards and 25 envelope seals. The email was a receipt for an order placed March 7, 2017, by Cribley in the amount of $62.32 using the school's debit card. The order shows the recipient as Karson Cribley, Deborah's child.</div>
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Pritchett also found a receipt for a yearbook for Cribley's child, according to the affidavit. The $78 purchase was made March 6, 2017, using the school's debit card.</div>
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Pritchett reviewed the records for the school's CNB account and found the following unauthorized charges for each year made by Cribley: 2016: $23,556.40; 2015: $21,221.92; 2014: $24,030.64; 2013: $15,536.58; and 2012: $5,436.86.</div>
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A review of the school's Alva State Bank & Trust account from 2012 to 2018, found Cribley wrote unauthorized checks totaling $19,145.45, according to the affidavit.</div>
Milwaukee CPAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13150752654997656043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5843938828529705382.post-17011493124666706672019-03-07T14:24:00.004-08:002019-03-07T14:24:50.303-08:00Treasurer accused of embezzling over $100,000 from Elkhorn High School show choir<div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #414141; font-family: SourceSansPro, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; margin-bottom: 24px; padding-left: 60px;">
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The treasurer of nonprofit organization that funds the Elkhorn High School show choir is in the Douglas County Corrections Center.</div>
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Omaha police booked Katrina Christensen on Tuesday morning for theft by deception and embezzling more than $5,000 from the Elkhorn High School pARTners, Parents for the Arts.</div>
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In court Wednesday, Douglas County prosecutors said Christensen embezzled $116,625.94. Prosecutors said Christensen wrote personal checks under the non-profits name, applied for personal loans under the nonprofits name and used the nonprofits debit and credit cards for personal use.</div>
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Investigators believe Christensen had been stealing money since 2015.</div>
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In emails obtained by KETV Newswatch 7, the all-volunteer board of directors made parents aware in early February of "significant losses to our pARTners bank account, inconsistent with previously reported balances."</div>
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The board told the parents it made the discovery in late January, a week before the choir's Red Carpet Classic event.</div>
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The money raised for the booster organization helps students with travel to show competitions, costumes and other necessities.</div>
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Elkhorn High School pARTners, Parents for the Arts sent us this statement:</div>
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<em style="box-sizing: border-box;">"We appreciate your concern for our students and program. In the interest of allowing a criminal case to proceed without added prejudice and protecting minors affected by the situation, we are declining to comment at this time on details of our account and any specific activity around it. While we are understandably shocked and disappointed by the discovery of financial losses, we respectfully ask that you allow our volunteer organization to process the situation without interference. We are proactively moving forward, implementing changes to ensure that nothing like this happens again. We are committed to continuing our work of supporting our students in the Arts programs at Elkhorn High."</em></div>
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Elkhorn Public Schools sent us this statement:</div>
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<em style="box-sizing: border-box;">“When the matter was brought to the administration by the booster club leadership, we promptly encouraged them to contact the police. We await the outcome of the investigation, and full restitution of the funds intended to support our choral music students.”</em></div>
Milwaukee CPAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13150752654997656043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5843938828529705382.post-79550766128254523142019-03-07T14:22:00.002-08:002019-03-07T14:22:47.214-08:00Brookfield Embezzlement Plea Hearing Continued, to March<div style="background-color: #fcfcfc; box-sizing: border-box; color: #111111; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 29px; margin-bottom: 15px;">
The plea hearing for a woman charged with embezzling from a Brookfield parent-teacher organization was continued from Thursday to March 27 at Danbury Superior Court.</div>
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Monica Bevilacqua, 39, of Brookfield, <a href="https://patch.com/connecticut/brookfield/educator-charged-embezzling-brookfield-pto" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #009e13; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;">was arrested in December</a> after police said she took money from the Center Elementary School PTO's accounts over two years.</div>
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Monica Bevilacqua, 39, of Brookfield, was arrested in December and charged with embezzling $12,700 from a Brookfield parent-teacher organization (PTO) over two years when she served as treasurer. She has been accused of taking money from the organization's accounts via more than 180 personal orders charged to the organization's credit card and a series of checks.</div>
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The PTO is a private organization that doesn't receive any public funding from the town of Brookfield or its schools.</div>
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Court records also indicate that Bevilacqua was asked to pay $100,000 in December to settle a civil case with a pedestrian she struck and injured in 2016. The previous month, a judge ordered her to pay almost $17,000 she owed to Citibank for her Mastercard bills.</div>
Milwaukee CPAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13150752654997656043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5843938828529705382.post-83057388325708452742019-03-07T14:21:00.000-08:002019-03-07T14:21:22.383-08:00Somerset Woman Stole $34K from Athletic Club to Pay Mortgage<div data-reactid="312" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #45444a; font-family: "Roboto Condensed", "Droid Serif", serif, Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 17px;">
A Somerset woman is being charged with stealing over $30,000 from a high school athletics organization.</div>
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The Bristol County District Attorney's Office issued a complaint Thursday morning against Dulce Pacheco, 51, of Somerset, charging her with one count of larceny over $1,200 by single scheme.</div>
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Gregg Miliote, the spokesman for the Bristol County District Attorney's Office, says Pacheco is alleged to have stolen $34,500 in December 2017 from the Somerset Berkley Regional High School Athletics Booster Club. Pacheco was the treasurer of the organization</div>
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Pacheco is alleged to have used the cash to pay the mortgage on her home.</div>
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Miliote says the investigation into the alleged theft began in December 2018 after the Somerset Police Department became aware of "talk" of the supposed crime. Somerset Police referred the matter to the Bristol County District Attorney's Office. Michael Scott, Chief of the Financial Crimes Unit of the DA's Office, investigated the allegations with the assistance of the School Resource Officer assigned to Somerset Berkley Regional High School, James Roberts.</div>
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Pacheco will be summonsed to appear in Fall River District Court on March 18 for arraignment on the single charge.</div>
Milwaukee CPAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13150752654997656043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5843938828529705382.post-24616544145126806832019-03-07T14:17:00.002-08:002019-03-07T14:17:50.207-08:00Ex-employee arrested, accused of embezzling from Sweetwater Union High School District<div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 19px;">
A former Sweetwater Union High School District worker was arrested on suspicion of embezzling thousands of dollars from the district while she was an employee.</div>
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Danya Margarita Williams, 42, is accused of stealing more than $50,000 in money orders between June 2016 and November 2017, the Chula Vista Police Department said. Williams was arrested March 5 and was booked into the Las Colinas Detention Facility, the department announced. Her bail was set at $50,000 and she bailed out Tuesday night, according to the District Attorney.</div>
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In a press release, police detailed what led to Williams’ arrest: District officials discovered the embezzlement in late-2017 and reported it to the Chula Vista Police Department. Police detectives, working in coordination with District officials, conducted a thorough investigation. Detectives determined that Williams, while employed by the District, appropriated money orders in excess of $50,000. According to the district, she worked there from October 2001 until February of 2018.</div>
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According to police, as a part of her job Williams was responsible for processing money orders received for fingerprint background investigations at the District. Background investigations are required during employment screening. Each applicant pays for the cost of the background investigation, which can range from $52 to $75 per applicant, using money orders. Instead of processing the money in accordance with District requirements, Williams deposited the money into her personal bank account.</div>
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After considerable investigation Detectives obtained a warrant for Williams’ arrest.</div>
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Williams’ job title was risk management specialist in the district’s accounting department, according to district records from 2017.</div>
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Public records for 2017 showed Williams’ earnings including benefits while with the district were $86,877.54 -- a 12 percent raise from her salary from the previous year.</div>
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Sweetwater District spokesman Manny Rubio said Williams left her job with the district in February 2018. She had been working in the district's human resources department up until her departure, according to Rubio.</div>
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Rubio said Monday, March 11th, there will be a budget meeting where the district will present a plan to balance the budget by the end of 2019.</div>
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Williams will be arraigned March 12th, at 1:30 p.m.</div>
Milwaukee CPAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13150752654997656043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5843938828529705382.post-15861012345648475952019-03-07T14:15:00.002-08:002019-03-07T14:15:27.733-08:00Deputy was center of Logan Heights church embezzlement probe<div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 19px;">
More than $100,000 went missing from New Hope Friendship Baptist Church in 2008 and 2010, according to new Sheriff’s Department investigation report Friday.</div>
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The investigation was an Internal Affairs probe into Lt. Devera Scott. Scott was also the treasurer for New Hope Friendship Baptist Church during the time the money went missing.</div>
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The report claims Scott admitted to church officials she took the money. However, the church told investigators they did not want to press charges as Scott had promised the church she would it pay it all back through monthly payments, and a portion of her retirement.</div>
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The church also told investigators they were in the business of forgiveness and did not want to ruin Scott’s career, according to the documents.</div>
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Investigators also learned that Scott made the church a beneficiary to a $300,000 life insurance and accidental death and dismemberment insurance policy.</div>
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The internal investigation became public Friday, following the ruling of a San Diego judge. The decision comes after local media, including 10News, sued to keep police unions from blocking departments from releasing records related to officer misconduct.</div>
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The San Diego Sheriff's Department was not part of the suit and has been releasing cases pursuant to SB1421, according to sheriff's department Lt. Karen Stubkjaer.</div>
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Scott retired from the sheriff’s department on March 22, 2013, before the investigation into the missing church money was complete according to the documents.</div>
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No charges were ever made against Scott.</div>
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Other court filings suggest Scott might have been facing financial problems at the time.</div>
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10News reached out to the church for comment. The pastor referred 10News to their attorney, who was not immediately available for comment.</div>
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10News also attempted reaching out to Scott but has not returned our request for comment.</div>
Milwaukee CPAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13150752654997656043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5843938828529705382.post-30597042453189353102019-03-07T14:13:00.002-08:002019-03-07T14:13:38.136-08:00APPEALS COURT FINDS NO ERROR IN FORMER SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER’S CONVICTION<div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; font-family: "Open Sans"; font-size: 17px; height: auto !important; line-height: 31px; margin-bottom: 26px; overflow-wrap: break-word;">
A North Carolina Court of Appeals panel has found no error in the conviction of a former Brunswick County School Board member for embezzlement when he led a local school’s PTA.</div>
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Ray Gilbert, who served on the school board from 2004 to 2008, <a href="https://www.wwaytv3.com/2013/06/20/first-3-former-brunswick-co-school-board-member-charged-stealing-from-pta/" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #dd3333; text-decoration-line: none;">was arrested in June 2013 and charged with embezzling more than $3,000 from the PTA at Jessie Mae Monroe Elementary School in Ash</a>. <a href="https://www.starnewsonline.com/news/20170710/former-brunswick-school-board-member-guilty-of-embezzlement" rel="noopener" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #dd3333; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">A jury convicted Gilbert in June 2017 on two counts of embezzlement by an officer of a charitable organization</a>. He was sentenced to two consecutive terms of 16-29 months, both of which were suspended for 36 months of supervised probation.</div>
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In an unpublished opinion from the NC Court of Appeals released today, a panel of judges denied Gilbert’s claims, including concerns about jury instructions and the testimony of a Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office detective, were enough to grant him a new trial. The judges, though, did leave open the possibility of Gilbert getting appropriate relief for ineffective assistance of counsel.</div>
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According to the ruling, investigators charged Gilbert, who served as Jessie Mae Monroe’s PTA president from 2011 to 2013, after a CPA’s review of the organization’s finances “found several problematic transactions, such as transactions with no receipts, unaccounted for gift cards and fundraising certificates, checks for meals, checks reimbursing Defendant personally for gas and travel expenses, and checks issued without the purpose indicated.”</div>
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Prosecutors offered as evidence transactions including golf shirts embroidered with the name of the church where Gilbert was the pastor, but billed to and paid for by the PTA; PTA reimbursements to Gilbert for gas used to attend a family funeral; a digital camera purchased by Gilbert with PTA funds; numerous unaccounted for gift cards bought with PTA funds; payments to PTA board members and their families; reimbursements for food at PTA board meetings; and renewal of the church’s Sam’s Club membership with PTA funds.</div>
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Gilbert presented no evidence at trial in his own defense and moved to have the case dismiss, which was denied.</div>
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The PTA’s treasurer testified against Gilbert after being granted immunity from prosecution.</div>
Milwaukee CPAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13150752654997656043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5843938828529705382.post-2256069339340363302019-03-07T14:11:00.001-08:002019-03-07T14:11:24.246-08:00Woman pleads guilty to grand larceny for stealing funds from Roslyn Harbor church<div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 26px; margin-bottom: 26px; overflow-wrap: break-word;">
Therese Iuzzolino, 45, pleaded guilty to grand larceny Tuesday for embezzling more than $180,000 from St. Mary’s Church in Roslyn Harbor, Nassau County District Attorney Madeline Singas said in a press release.</div>
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The theft spanned from Dec. 2011 to April 2017, Singas said. Iuzzolino, who was a bookkeeper for St. Mary’s, digitally paid for personal credit cards and created electronic check vouchers using the church’s bank account, Singas said.</div>
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The district attorneys office expects her to be sentenced to six months in jail with five years of probation.</div>
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Iuzollino, of Merrick, must also pay back the full $183,203.64, $25,000 of which must be paid at her sentencing.</div>
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The restitution will go to the Diocese of Rockville Centre, which had reimbursed St. Mary’s for the stolen funds.</div>
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“She took responsibility for her actions,” said Iuzzolino’s attorney J. Caesar Galarza. “She was in a dark place and perhaps not thinking clearly. She got some help and she decided to own and take responsibility for her actions.”</div>
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As a bookkeeper, Iuzzolino prepared checks, maintained the church’s QuickBooks ledger, reviewed invoices and reconciled bank statements.</div>
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The defendant concealed her theft by erasing deposit and withdrawal entries in church records.</div>
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She used the money to pay a jeweler, automobile dealer, gun shops, toy stores and dental fees. She also spent it on computers, fast food and entertainment.</div>
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The church’s bank called St. Mary’s about a suspicious $5,000 check paid from its bank account in May 2017, which led to the discovery of Iuzzolino’s embezzlement.</div>
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She was then fired.</div>
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“This defendant was a trusted member of the St. Mary’s Church family, but abused that trust and stole more than $180,000 from church coffers,” Singas said. “Stealing from a house of worship is an especially contemptible act and I am grateful to St. Mary’s for their cooperation during this case.”</div>
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Iuzzolino is due for sentencing on April 29.</div>
Milwaukee CPAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13150752654997656043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5843938828529705382.post-60605967632600308332019-02-28T07:51:00.002-08:002019-02-28T07:51:57.855-08:00Deming Public Schools make significant improvements in audit reports<div class="speakable-p-1 p-text" style="background-color: #fafafa; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 60px;">
Even after two years, the loss of $145,000 still resonates today for Deming Public Schools.</div>
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The board of education had Alan “Aj” Bowers, an audit partner for Carr Riggs and Ingram audit firm, share highlights from the fiscal year 2018 audit report during a regular session on Thursday. The action item presentation didn’t go without acknowledging current improvements in retrospect to the financial bruise left under former DPS Superintendent Dan Lere's administration.</div>
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"One of the things that I really wanted to point out was the changes from 2017 to 2018," Bowers said. "So, this is a testament to the hard work of the district, the finance team, the dedication of the board to allow the resources that they need to be able to clean up some of the challenges that the district has had year over year.</div>
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"When I look at the district highlights, financial statement material weakness findings decreased from three to zero from year over year. Not only in the number of findings, but when you talk about severity, the term material weakness under accounting standards is a finding that basically says if something were to go wrong here, it can materially affect the operations of the district, it can affect the opinions – so, it merits the attention of the governing body. So, that's a good thing to go from three to zero. You should be proud of that.</div>
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"The next level is significant deficiencies went from two to one. The definition of a significant deficiency is it does not rise to level of material weakness yet still merits the attention of the governing body. So, not only did you get rid of material weaknesses, but the significant deficiencies as well.</div>
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"Federal Award findings – we did increase from two to four so, we audited different programs, we looked at different things every year so, that is something to pay attention to.</div>
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"And the New Mexico Audit Rule – they require to report everything and they went from 11 to five.</div>
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"So, you cleaned up a lot of findings, you cleaned up the severity of the findings, so I think the district should be proud of the work that they've done.</div>
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"The charter school (Cesar Chavez Charter High School) had significant deficiencies decrease from one to zero and then the state audit rule, they went to five to four."</div>
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“I think you that have accomplished a lot – still some work to do, but you guys are on the right track,” Bowers said to the board.</div>
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"For one person who was on the board when we had to do the audit a couple of years ago, it was... ehh, I don’t want to even go there," DPS Board President Bayne Anderson said. "This has so much improved from what we had a few years ago,”</div>
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Approximately two years ago, a special audit prepared by the Jaramillo Accounting Group for the State Auditor’s office, presented details of possible fraud and embezzlement by Beatrice Armendariz, a former Deming High School head secretary.</div>
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According to the special audit, Armendariz has allegedly used a district p-card for personal gain from July 2012 through June of 2016. The executive summary mentioned that former Superintendent Dan Lere reported $20,000 in possibly embezzled funds to the Deming Police Department in August of 2016. But the state auditor's office had subsequently determined as much as $145,000 may have been stolen.</div>
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Armendariz reportedly left her position for another job in August of 2016.</div>
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No court cases have been filed. The Deming Headlight has made several unsuccessful attempts to reach Sixth Judicial District Prosecutor Francesca Estevez for any updates on actions the DA's office may take.</div>
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Back in August, DPS received a check for $130,000 from the New Mexico Public Schools Insurance Authority to help account for the $145,000 that was allegedly stolen.</div>
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The district did not set motion to approve the presentation in order to allow board members to revise the final audit report.</div>
Milwaukee CPAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13150752654997656043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5843938828529705382.post-89991749419015600202019-02-28T07:49:00.001-08:002019-02-28T07:49:12.533-08:00Ex-cheer gym staff member charged with embezzlement<div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #444444; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 27px; margin-bottom: 24px;">
The Front Royal Police Department has arrested a person formerly affiliated with Virginia Revolution Athletics, a Front Royal cheer gym, accusing her of embezzling money from the cheer gym’s business account.</div>
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Police Sgt. Jason Winner said that Donna Rogers, 59, of Front Royal, transferred $3,200 from the United Bank account of the cheer gym into her own personal United Bank account on Sept. 18 without having the authorization to do so.</div>
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“Donna was affiliated with the business, with Virginia Revolution Athletics, and both bank accounts were with United Bank here in the Town of Front Royal,” Winner said. “But again, she was not authorized to transfer that money from the business account to her personal bank account.”</div>
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When reached for comment, Rogers, who was arrested Feb. 15, hung up the phone.</div>
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According to an affidavit for a subpoena of bank records, Trisha Hart, the owner of Virginia Revolution Athletics, notified the police department on Oct. 18 that Rogers embezzled $13,700 over five bank transfers between July and September of 2018. Since then, Hart has sued Rogers in five separate civil lawsuits.</div>
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In a news release, Hart’s attorney, Phillip Griffin II, stated that Rogers “has been volunteering with” Virginia Revolution Athletics and Hart and Sole Shoe Company, both of which Hart owns, and has been “interfering with client contracts, usurping her local practice area and withholding various equipment, uniforms and shoes.”</div>
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But while police have inspected at least five bank transfers from Virginia Revolution Athletics into Rogers’ bank account, Rogers has only been charged with the $3,200 Sept. 18 bank transfer.</div>
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Rogers has a prior record of some financial crimes dating back to 1985, according to court records. Court records show she was charged in 1985 in Oklahoma with issuing bogus checks, and in 2007 in West Virginia of involvement in felony fraud schemes.</div>
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In addition, Rogers had a record of a 1988 embezzlement charge in Virginia, the court records show.</div>
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In a phone interview, Hart, who described Rogers as a former staff member for the cheer gym, said that she was aware of the 1988 case before Rogers began working at the gym.</div>
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“We did know of her 1988 charges, but that was 20 years ago,” Hart said. “Who would’ve thought she would do it again?”</div>
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Hart stated in an email that Rogers’s alleged embezzlement has had a significant impact on Virginia Revolution Athletics.</div>
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“The lost revenue has had significant consequences to our organization,” Hart stated. “It has impacted the local community greatly.”</div>
Milwaukee CPAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13150752654997656043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5843938828529705382.post-9828439073902559052019-02-21T13:25:00.002-08:002019-02-21T13:25:34.038-08:00Man extradited from Spain faces charges in Santa Ana charter school embezzlement case<div class="card collection-item" data-type="text" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">
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More than a decade ago, <a href="http://articles.latimes.com/2007/oct/10/local/me-charter10" rel="noopener" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; cursor: pointer; line-height: 18px;" target="_blank">an audit uncovered</a> that the executive director of a Santa Ana charter school had funneled millions in state funds to several businesses he owned.</div>
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After being extradited from Spain, Emilio Vazquez arrived in Orange County recently to face decade-old felony charges that include misappropriation of public funds, forgery and grand theft, the Orange County district attorney’s office said Wednesday.</div>
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Vazquez served as the executive director of Albor Charter School from 2002 to 2006. Allegations of questionable spending, fiscal mismanagement and conflicts of interest led the Santa Ana Unified School District <a href="http://articles.latimes.com/2005/apr/27/local/me-albor27" rel="noopener" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; cursor: pointer; line-height: 18px;" target="_blank">to revoke Albor’s charter</a> in 2005.</div>
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Although a legal battle allowed the school to stay open for the next school year, Vazquez closed Albor in March 2006 without notice to students or staff.</div>
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Because Albor failed to perform financial accounting that listed liabilities and assets, and because of concern about potential fraud and misappropriation of funds, the county Department of Education called in a team to perform an audit.</div>
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A 118-page report found that Vazquez had funneled millions in state funds to businesses controlled by Vazquez, his wife and their associates. It is unclear how the money was spent.</div>
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The audit findings were turned over to the district attorney’s office and charges were brought in March 2009. That same month, authorities issued an arrest warrant for Vazquez.</div>
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Later that year, authorities found Vazquez in Spain and the Department of Justice submitted a request for his extradition. The extradition was approved in April 2010, but while Vazquez was released on bail, he fled to China and was not surrendered to the U.S., according to the district attorney’s office.</div>
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This year, Vazquez was deported from China back to Spain and surrendered to U.S. marshals. He arrived in Orange County on Feb. 8. He is in custody on $3.12-million bail and must prove the money came from a legal source before posting bail.</div>
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Milwaukee CPAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13150752654997656043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5843938828529705382.post-10226035096355842372019-02-21T13:22:00.000-08:002019-02-21T13:22:11.803-08:00 City All-Star Football Game will be played despite embezzlement scandal, attorney says<div class="card paragraph-spacing collection-item " data-type="text" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; font-family: "Gotham Narrow SSm A", "Gotham Narrow SSm B", sans-serif;">
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On Friday, the Inquirer reported that West Catholic football coach Brian Fluck was no longer president of the Philadelphia City All-Star Football Game’s four-member executive committee, after questions arose about missing committee funds. Since then, coaches and players around the city have grown concerned about the game’s status. In previous seasons, the 100-player roster was chosen in mid-February.</div>
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“The game is crucial,” Sytsma, who just completed his second season as Frankford’s coach, said Wednesday night. “It’s the fabric of high school football in Philly over the last 44 years. Can’t lose it. It’s gotta be played.”</div>
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The game, played last year at Northeast High on May 19, “will proceed as scheduled,” said Fortunato N. Perri Jr., a lawyer representing the game’s executive board. Details were not provided.</div>
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In a statement Wednesday, Perri wrote that “the Executive Board is committed to continuing the opportunity for future players for decades to come.”</div>
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The statement also alleged that Fluck, who has been West Catholic’s coach since 1999 and is a 1988 graduate of the school, embezzled and misappropriated funds while president, a title he held for 10 years. West Catholic has placed him on administrative leave.</div>
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Several members of the game’s larger 16-person board (now minus Fluck) have said that at least $50,000 in committee funds are believed to be unaccounted for. Fluck (pronounced “Fluke”) says he “stepped down” from the board. The board says he was “relieved of his duties.”</div>
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Fluck has declined further comment multiple times. In a statement, his attorney, Richard F. Klineburger III, wrote that Fluck would “continue to cooperate with West Catholic, the Archdiocese as well as the Philadelphia All Star Game Board to properly clear his good name.”</div>
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Athletes and their families have provided paperwork concerning missing or delayed scholarship money awarded by the committee that ranged from $500 to more than $1,000 from 2010 to 2018.</div>
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Klineburger said that, to his knowledge, all monies were paid to “every student who properly completed all of the documentation required.”</div>
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Perri, the executive board’s lawyer, wrote that all options to recover the “stolen funds,” including the involvement of law enforcement, will be utilized.</div>
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For athletes such as Price, however, the city all-star game represents a chance to recover from injury and perhaps a final opportunity to impress college coaches.</div>
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His knee and ankle both felt “hot” immediately after the injuries, he said. An MRI confirmed his knee injury in November. Surgery repaired it Dec. 11.</div>
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“At the pace I’m going, my physical therapist is pushing me, and I’m trying to get my leg ready for the all-star game," he said. "And yes, I believe I’ll be ready before the game.”</div>
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Price, a powerful runner with quick feet, was voted All-Public League as a junior by league coaches. Injuries, he believes, hampered his recruitment as a senior.</div>
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“It’s just always been in my heart to play football,” said Price, who attends Sankofa, which doesn’t have a football program.</div>
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His mom, Keva Waters, and dad, Greg Price, put him in football when he was 5 years old. He played for the Mount Airy Bantams and Lawncrest before Frankford.</div>
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“It would be a dream come true to play in college," he said.</div>
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Price is already an academic qualifier by NCAA standards, Sytsma said. He just wants an opportunity to play, and he’s not alone.</div>
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“Honestly for some kids, it could be the last football game they ever play,” said Bartram coach and athletic director Jim Chapman.</div>
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Chapman, in his sixth year as coach and administrator, guided the Public side last year.</div>
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“It was a great experience and brought a lot of the city’s kids together, and some of them forged bonds that they’ll have forever,” he said.</div>
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Since news of the turmoil surrounding the game broke, Chapman said his players have asked about the game’s status. Sytsma echoed similar sentiments.</div>
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“We need all hands on deck to make sure this works,” Chapman said. “It’s not an easy task. We need support from all the former alumni of the game and for businesses to help out and help do this for our kids, because our kids deserve this.”</div>
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Milwaukee CPAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13150752654997656043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5843938828529705382.post-54854046060499366692019-02-21T13:16:00.000-08:002019-02-21T13:16:10.424-08:00Berkeley schools CFO who embezzled $1.2 million sentenced to 63 months in federal prison<div style="background-color: #f3f4f2; box-sizing: border-box; color: #262b28; font-family: miller-text; font-feature-settings: "kern", "liga", "clig", "calt", "pnum", "onum"; font-kerning: normal; font-size: 18px; font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures contextual; font-variant-numeric: oldstyle-nums proportional-nums; line-height: 29px; margin-bottom: 24px;">
The former chief financial officer who stole $1.2 million from the Berkeley County School District was sentenced Wednesday to more than five years in federal prison for what authorities have described as possibly the largest public embezzlement scheme in South Carolina.</div>
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A judge handed down the sentence to 62-year-old Brantley Denmark Thomas III during a hearing in U.S. District Court in downtown Charleston.</div>
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The once-respected and longtime district administrator previously pleaded guilty to 20 federal counts of embezzlement, honest services wire fraud, and money laundering over a 16 year stretch.</div>
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His 63-month sentence fell at the highest end of a prison term called for by federal sentencing guidelines.</div>
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Thomas, who said little during his sentencing while clad in a striped jail jumpsuit, also faces prosecution in state court where 35 other criminal counts are pending. He will serve any prison time for those charges after completing his federal prison term. </div>
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Dozens of school district representatives packed the courtroom Wednesday along with Thomas’ supporters. Some district employees wrote letters to District Judge David Norton detailing the impact of Thomas’ crimes, but they did not speak in court.</div>
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Brantley Thomas. Provided</div>
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Norton said Thomas pocketed funds that should have benefited students and also accepted $32,000 in bribes and kickbacks.</div>
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The crimes didn’t stop when Thomas was hit with state and federal charges. The state Attorney General’s Office, which is prosecuting the state case, said Thomas stole around $35,000 from Jackson Davenport Vision Center, a Charleston eye care business that employed him as a bookkeeper while he was out on bond in 2017 and 2018.</div>
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Norton said Thomas has an apparent “OPM addiction,” referencing his thefts of “other people’s money.”</div>
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Thomas was ordered to pay $1.2 million in restitution to the school district, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. He will serve three years on court supervision after he is released from prison.</div>
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Superintendent Eddie Ingram, who was hired by the district in the wake of the embezzlement scandal, said Thomas’ sentence represented a “major step” for the district to move forward.</div>
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“It’s sort of a breath of fresh air,” he said.</div>
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Thomas oversaw all of the district’s finances, including a nearly $260 million general fund. With a salary of $130,500, he was among the district’s highest paid employees in the district, and he also collected a pension during the final years of his career.</div>
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District lawyer Josh Whitley said Thomas’ “larger financial mismanagement” overshadowed the $1.2 million he embezzled. The former CFO misspent $46 million of the fund balance, Whitley said, and the district later had to restore it or risk losing its bond rating. Thomas also misspent the district’s construction budget for facilities by “tens of millions of dollars,” Whitley said.</div>
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Officials said they’ve addressed the shortfall by issuing bonds and hiring new auditors and financial advisers, though such efforts have lessened their ability to focus on the needs of students in the rapidly growing county.</div>
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<img alt="Berkeley schools suing popular auditing firm for missing CFO's $1.2 million embezzlement" class="img-responsive full lazyautosizes lazyloaded" data-sizes="auto" data-srcset="https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/postandcourier.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/9/bf/9bf4870c-f3cb-11e8-9d7b-23274d168417/5873d9e856dff.image.jpg?resize=200%2C149 200w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/postandcourier.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/9/bf/9bf4870c-f3cb-11e8-9d7b-23274d168417/5873d9e856dff.image.jpg?resize=300%2C224 300w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/postandcourier.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/9/bf/9bf4870c-f3cb-11e8-9d7b-23274d168417/5873d9e856dff.image.jpg?resize=400%2C299 400w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/postandcourier.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/9/bf/9bf4870c-f3cb-11e8-9d7b-23274d168417/5873d9e856dff.image.jpg?resize=540%2C403 540w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/postandcourier.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/9/bf/9bf4870c-f3cb-11e8-9d7b-23274d168417/5873d9e856dff.image.jpg?resize=750%2C560 750w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/postandcourier.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/9/bf/9bf4870c-f3cb-11e8-9d7b-23274d168417/5873d9e856dff.image.jpg?resize=1200%2C896 1200w" height="896" sizes="245px" src="data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAQAAAADCAQAAAAe/WZNAAAAEElEQVR42mM8U88ABowYDABAxQPltt5zqAAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==" srcset="https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/postandcourier.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/9/bf/9bf4870c-f3cb-11e8-9d7b-23274d168417/5873d9e856dff.image.jpg?resize=200%2C149 200w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/postandcourier.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/9/bf/9bf4870c-f3cb-11e8-9d7b-23274d168417/5873d9e856dff.image.jpg?resize=300%2C224 300w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/postandcourier.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/9/bf/9bf4870c-f3cb-11e8-9d7b-23274d168417/5873d9e856dff.image.jpg?resize=400%2C299 400w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/postandcourier.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/9/bf/9bf4870c-f3cb-11e8-9d7b-23274d168417/5873d9e856dff.image.jpg?resize=540%2C403 540w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/postandcourier.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/9/bf/9bf4870c-f3cb-11e8-9d7b-23274d168417/5873d9e856dff.image.jpg?resize=750%2C560 750w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/postandcourier.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/9/bf/9bf4870c-f3cb-11e8-9d7b-23274d168417/5873d9e856dff.image.jpg?resize=1200%2C896 1200w" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; display: block; height: auto; max-width: 100%; vertical-align: middle; width: 244.984px;" width="1200" /></a></div>
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<a class="tnt-asset-link" href="https://www.postandcourier.com/news/berkeley-schools-suing-popular-auditing-firm-for-missing-cfo-s/article_0fd3899e-f3cb-11e8-84df-774ba335e9f6.html" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: rgb(38, 43, 40) !important; font-feature-settings: "c2sc", "smcp"; letter-spacing: 0.06rem; line-height: 1.2; padding-bottom: 0.16rem; text-decoration-line: none; text-decoration-skip-ink: auto; transition: color 0.16s ease-in-out 0s, text-decoration-color 0.16s ease-in-out 0s;">Berkeley schools suing popular auditing firm for missing CFO’s $1.2 million embezzlement</a></h3>
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Berkeley County School District on Wednesday filed a lawsuit against its former auditing firm seeking “in excess of $10 million or other amount to be determined at trial” because the firm did not detect a $1.2 embezzlement by the district’s CFO. </div>
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The district fired Thomas in February 2017 after officials learned that the FBI and Wells Fargo bank were looking into missing funds.</div>
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The FBI’s probe, prompted by a tip, uncovered a pervasive scheme that began in 2001 and grew more sophisticated in later years.</div>
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Authorities said Thomas stole from the district on at least 45 occasions, using several methods that included overpaying vendors through school district accounts and then depositing refund checks into his personal account.</div>
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Among the stolen funds were federal grants intended for special-education students.</div>
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Authorities said Thomas also pocketed at least $32,000 in bribes and kickbacks for awarding the district’s insurance policy contracts to specific companies.</div>
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Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Ryan wrote that Thomas’ thievery funded a lifestyle of luxury: international travel, jewelry and a membership at the Carolina Yacht Club.</div>
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Thomas’ defense attorney, Matt Hubbell, portrayed his client as a “broken and ashamed man” who was prepared to accept a significant prison term. He said Thomas completed an alcohol addiction treatment program in November and has been devoted to caring for his 18-year-old daughter.</div>
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The attorney asked that Thomas serve his federal sentence at a minimum-security prison camp in Estill.</div>
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Whitley, the district’s attorney, said officials expect Thomas to receive a longer sentence on the state charges, which include counts of embezzlement, misconduct in office, and forgery.</div>
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A spokesman for Attorney General’s Office said Thomas has not entered a plea. A date for his next court hearing in that case was not finalized as of Wednesday.</div>
Milwaukee CPAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13150752654997656043noreply@blogger.com0