Aurora mom accused of stealing $21,000+ from parent-teacher group affiliated with child's school

 An Aurora mom has been charged with stealing more than $21,000 from the Parent-Teacher Community Organization at Village East Elementary School.

Police began investigating Ashley Ann Green after the school's principal, John Cramer, told them about suspected fraudulent activity involving the PTCO's FirstBank account.

Green became treasurer of that organization in 2016.

The arrest affidavit alleges that Green, 26, who lives about a block away from the school, made multiple ATM withdrawals, wrote checks out to herself, and failed to pay bills related to the group's fund-raising activities.

Las Vegas trip

The affidavit alleges that some of that ill-gotten money was spent in Las Vegas.

A bank statement included as evidence shows Green made two FirstBank debit card purchases at Lobster Me Grand Canal, a lobster roll eatery inside the Venetian Hotel, wrote out a PTCO "counter check" to herself for $1,100 and withdrew $300 from an ATM on Las Vegas Boulevard South.

Denver7 tried to contact Green to ask if she gambled the PTCO's money away. Her husband answered the door and said, "she's not here." We left a business card requesting a return phone call but have yet to hear back.

Oversight questions

Denver7 also reached out to the Parents' Council, a committee that oversees all PTCOs in Colorado.

We wanted to ask about the impact of the alleged theft on students, and why it took so long to catch the fraud.

Council President, Kristine Ritter, said she was not going to comment about anything and said, "no one from the council would comment."

Residents whose children or grandchildren attend the school were not happy to learn about the alleged embezzlement.

"If that's going to impact my grandchild's education, then I'm very upset about it," one woman said. "You know, I thought it was a good school and things were going good. She's getting a good education, but if that kind of stuff is happening, then that's very unsettling."

School district response

Abbe Smith, the executive director of communications for Cherry Creek Schools, called the alleged embezzlement, "very unfortunate."

When asked what the PTCO's funds would normally be used for, Smith replied, "The money can be used for things like purchasing technology. That could be computers or cameras. It can be used for all kinds of things -- reading programs, field trips, gym equipment or teacher appreciation."

Green has been charged with theft. Her next court appearance date has not yet been set.

Jefferson County case

A similar case is being prosecuted in Jefferson County , where the previous treasurer of the Jefferson Academy Elementary PTO, Jessica Tafoya, allegedly stole more than $58,000.

She was the only authorized user of the PTO bank account from the time she was appointed as treasurer, in October of 2015, until September of 2017.

When a second individual was given authority to use the account, Tafoya sent an email to the PTO president saying she felt like "dog shit" and owed the PTO money.

She allegedly used the PTO's funds at gas stations, fast food stops, Kohl's, Target, Walgreens, Best Buy, Estes Park, Komotodo Sushi Bar and Gateaux Bakery.

Tafoya has been charged with theft of between $20,000 and $100,000.

Her next court date has not yet been set.

Former Brighton charter school leader gets 10 years probation

A former school leader was sentenced to 10 years of probation for stealing federal grant money last week.

Robert Hughes, 60, pleaded guilty to embezzlement of public property in September after prosecutors said he stole almost $20,000 from a federal education grant intended for Eagle Ridge Academy.

Hughes was also sentenced to 60 days of home detention.

The grant had been awarded to the Brighton charter school to purchase about 350 Netbook computers for students, software and other program materials, according to the arrest affidavit.

The school district's annual audit found irregularities, and as school officials investigated more, they found that even though receipts and invoices showed purchases of 500 computers totaling $135,000, only 153 computers worth $79,210 were located.

Hughes had set up a fake company and bank account with the initials of Eagle Ridge Academy Foundation to disguise diverted checks.

Hughes was initially also charged with one count of felony theft.

After the Brighton school district and the state launched their own investigations, Hughes resigned from his post in August 2012 citing health problems.

The district agreed to pay back the grants that were misused, requiring the charter school to reimburse the district eventually.

Prosecutors in Adams County have also filed a motion to request $166,975.75 in restitution for the school district and will also request $87,024.25 in restitution for Traveler's Insurance.

Girl Scout Embezzlement case delayed with new attorney in Colorado

The recent switch in public defenders serving Morgan County District Court again led to a continuance in the case against a Fort Morgan woman for allegedly embezzling local Girl Scout funds.

Jennifer Streit-Jensen, 33, faces charges in Morgan County District Court of class 4 felony theft of $1,000 to $20,000 and class 4 felony computer crime theft of $1,000 to $20,000 in connection with money that went missing from local Girl Scout troops.

Public Defender Lisa Herbst, who moved from Adams County District Court to Morgan County District Court in August, told District Court Judge Douglas Vannoy on Thursday that she needed more time to go through the evidence to prepare her case.

"We have a very large amount of discovery," Herbst said, adding that the evidence was on a computer disk and she and her client were going through it. "It's kind of an accounting issue and an accounting problem."

She said she was trying to figure out what all of the bank statements in that evidence could mean for her client.

Herbst asked for another continuance to a disposition hearing.

Dep. District Attorney Zachary Balkin did not object, but he did request that Vannoy make this the last disposition hearing continuance.

"I realize that they're changing attorneys, but this case is getting a little long in the tooth," he told the judge. "A representative from the Girl Scouts is present, and they are getting very frustrated" with delays.

The prosecution previously alleged Streit-Jensen took $6,427 worth of funds from area Girl Scout troops 3334, 357 and 108 between April 2 and Aug. 4, 2012.

Balkin added that many of the alleged victims in the case, "the actual Girl Scouts, are graduating and going off to college. They're not going to be around" to see the case's resolution.

Vannoy said he agreed with Balkin's concerns.

"We need a plea, a disposition or we need to go to trial if that's what's going to happen," he told the attorneys and Streit-Jensen.

He set the case over to 1:30 p.m. Oct. 29 for either a disposition hearing or an arraignment.

Streit-Jensen was not arrested in this case, instead receiving a summons in late January to appear in February to hear the charges against her.

Vannoy said her summons would continue until then.

If the case were to go to trial and Streit-Jensen were convicted on both class 4 felony charges, she could face two to six years in prison, but she also may be eligible for a probationary sentence.

A plea deal, which is at the District Attorney's Office's discretion, could net a more lenient sentence and conviction on only one felony charge or even on lesser charges.

Former Golden High School financial secretary accused of stealing $156K pleads guilt in Colorado

A former Golden High School secretary has pleaded guilty of theft for stealing thousands of dollars from the school.

Judith Marie Eakins, 54, pleaded in court Wednesday to stealing almost $156,000. She was convicted of one count of theft over $20,000, a felony, according to the Jefferson County District Attorney's Office.

Eakins, of Wheat Ridge, was employed at Golden High School from October 1999, until November 2012. She worked in several positions before becoming a financial secretary in July 2008.

In September 2012, an internal audit revealed losses in numerous school accounts managed by Eakins between 2009 and 2012.

Investigators found that cash turned over to Eakins was not deposited into the school's account. The audit team also found that financial documents had been manipulated.

Some of the stolen money was from ticket sales to school events such as prom, concerts, drama productions and homecoming. As staff, Eakins worked the door or gate at some of these events and personally collected money for tickets sales.

Eakins stole money for her personal use. She also misused the school credit card and took property purchased with the card for her personal use.

Eakins, who faces up to 12 years in prison, will be sentenced on Oct. 21.

Lion's club treasurer arrested on embezzlement charge in Colorado

Kathleen Starkey, a former treasurer of the Wolverine Lion's Club was arrested on charges she embezzled money from the organization.

Starkey, 46, of Wolverine, was arraigned in 89th District Court on April 5th. 

 Her arrest stems from an investigation conducted by the Michigan State Police Post in Cheboygan. According to Troopers, Starkey took approximately $4000 while serving as an officer with the club between July 2012 and January 2013.

Embezzlement from a non-profit is a 5 year felony. Starkey will be back in court for a pre-trial on April 15th.

Her bond was set at $5000. 

Youth League Treasurer Denies Theft in Colorado

The Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office has identified the suspect in the embezzlement of an estimated $650,000 from the Arapahoe Youth League, but the woman strongly denies involvement in the theft.
Arapahoe County Sheriff Grayson Robinson said 51-year-old Pamela Schlehuber is suspected of pilfering the money from the youth sports league over the course of five years and she will likely be criminally charged in several weeks, when the complex financial investigation is completed.
But Schlehuber, who served as AYL treasurer, told CBS4 investigators are wrong, “I didn’t take any money. When I turned the books back over, there was no money missing.”
 Schlehuber was treasurer for the AYL until 2011 according to the organization.
It coordinates sports for about 6,000 boys and girls from Castle Rock to Northeast Denver.
According to an announcement posted on the AYL website by its President Craig Randall in August 2012, the board of directors conducted a review of bookkeeping records “and uncovered potential issues with the accounting of the AYL funds.”
 The organization then notified the Arapahoe County Sheriff which began a financial investigation involving multiple bank accounts.
Investigators say that probe has led them to Schlehuber who has not been arrested or charged and does not have a criminal record in Colorado.
Contacted by CBS4 by phone Wednesday,
 Schlehuber repeatedly said investigators were mistaken in accusing her of financial impropriety.
“That is so not true,” Schlehuber said. She told CBS4 she has talked to Arapahoe County investigators twice, once in person and once by phone.
Records show she has served as bookkeeper for several other youth organizations and is currently a church bookkeeper. She said she was the paid treasurer for AYL for “a lot of years. I need to see where this is going.”
The Arapahoe County Sheriff said the district attorney is “in the loop” on the case.
On its website, the AYL President noted that, “Notwithstanding this unfortunate turn of events… there has never been and there never will be an interruption in the services provided by the AYL to all of the families and players.”

Golden High School Embezzlement Suspect Stole From Own Mother in Colorado

A former financial secretary at Golden High School, charged with embezzlement, was busted after she was caught stealing from her own mother.

Judith Eakins was arrested by police in Golden on Jan. 9. She has been charged with theft and embezzlement of public property.

Eakins, 53, was employed at Golden High School from Oct. 1999 to Nov. 2012. she was hired by the school district as a paraprofessional but worked in several positions before becoming financial secretary in July 2008.

Dorothy Marvay is Eakins’ 92-year-old mother. She lives in a nursinghome where her fees are set to be paid with her Social Security and pension money.Eakins pleaded guilty to taking that money and putting it into an account where she could get to it.

It was after that guilty plea that Jefferson County District Attorney Peter Weir launched another investigation.

“So as a result of the offense against her mom it led to much greater scrutiny of her activities and her official role at Golden High School,” said Weir.

According to court records in Sept. 2012 an internal audit at the high school revealed losses in numerous school accounts managed by Eakins between 2009 and 2012.

Discrepancies in receipts indicated that cash turned in to Eakins was not deposited into the school’s account. The audit team also said it appeared that financial documents had been manipulated.

Eakins is suspected of taking nearly $156,000 during the three year period.Some of the money that Eakins is alleged to have embezzled came from ticket sales to school events such as prom, concerts, drama productions and homecoming events.As staff, Eakins worked the door or gate at some of these events and personally collected money for ticket sales.

Students are the victims in this case.

“I really do feel really cheated because my whole family has gone here and given money here and I feel like she has cheated on us,” said student Justin Myers.

The money should have been kept in the school’s safe, which was located in Eakins’s office, until she made the weekly deposit in the school’s account.

Eakins is also suspected of having misused the school credit cardand taken property she purchased with the card for her personal use.

The investigation found Eakins allegedly spent the money on a computer tablet, dinners, gifts, a $10,000 DVD collection and more.

“It’s a burn to me because I’m in high school soccer and next year it’s going to be our funds for all that,” said student Evan Gregory.

“I don’t even know why they do it, they’re getting paid anyway for their job. If they didn’t get enough money they did they could have gotten a new job or ask for a raise,” said student Trenton Anderson

An audit found the managers of the school activities did not keep adequate records and did not obtain receipts when giving money to Eakins.

The Jefferson County School District issued a statement stating they have financial controls in place at every school but that Eakins falsified reports and lied.

Eakins is being held on a $50,000 bond.

Former financial secretary charged in six-figure theft from Golden High School in Denver

A former Golden High School secretary is suspected of embezzling $156,000 from the school.

Judith Marie Eakins, 53, was arrested Tuesday by Golden police, according to a Jefferson County District Attorney's media release.

In September an internal audit at the school revealed losses in numerous accounts managed by Eakins between 2009 and 2012, according to prosecutors.

Eakins has worked at the school since 1999, working her way up to financial secretary in July 2008. She left the school in November 2012.

The audit team said that Eakins "manipulated" financial documents and there was "discrepancies in receipts indicating that cash turned in to Eakins was not deposited into the school's account.

Some of the money Eakins allegedly embezzled "came from ticket sales to school events such as prom, concerts, drama productions and homecoming events," the release said. As a school staff member, "Eakins worked the door or gate at some of these events and personally collected money for tickets sales."

Eakins is suspected of having misused the school credit card and taken property she purchased with card for her personal use, the DA's office said.

She has been charged with theft and embezzlement of public property, both felonies. She is being held on a $50,000 bond.

Former LEUSD Spokesman Admits Embezzlement in Colorado

FROM http://lakeelsinore-wildomar.patch.co/ -
 
A former Lake Elsinore Unified School District official on Thursday admitted embezzling nearly $5,000 from a district purchasing account and was immediately sentenced to 180 days local jail time.

Jose Carvajal, 30, was charged with one felony count of embezzlement of an amount more than $400 for stealing the money after his employment with the district ended in 2010.
At today's felony settlement conference hearing, Carvajal pleaded guilty and was sentenced, also receiving three years probation.
The jail time will be spent in the sheriff's weekender work-release program, according to court records.
Carvajal, who was out on $5,000 bail, got one day's credit for time served and only owes the sheriff 179 days, court records indicate.
The defendant took $4,909,54 from the Lake Elsinore Administrators and Professions (LEAP) bank account.
Carvajal was one of four people who had access to the account, used mainly to reimburse expenses accrued for the district out of pocket, according to papers filed with the court.
In January, Michael Taylor, the treasurer on the account, discovered 16 unauthorized transactions during a period from Dec. 23, 2010 to Jan. 21, according to a Declaration in Support of an Arrest Warrant filed in court.
Out of the 16 transactions, an investigator wrote in the affidavit, 15 of those were conducted in Lake Elslinore.
Also out of the 16 transactions, 15 of those were made for $300 and the last was made for $9.54, the investigator wrote.
The investigator further states in the affidavit that when records were compared, he determined that Carvajal used his ATM card to make the unauthorized transactions.
"In reviewing still images from the fraudulent ATM transactions, I found the person in all of the still images to be Jose ... Carvajal Jr.," wrote sheriff's Investigator Robert Cornett.
Carvajal served as a public information officer for the school district. Last fall he accepted a post with the Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District as a public information officer, but was let go during his probationary period in April.
A reason for his dismissal has never been supplied by water district officials.
Carvajal turned himself over to authorities May 3, and was later released on $5,000 bail.
He pleaded not guilty to one count of embezzlement of more than $400 at his arraignment June 28 and the judge left bail in place.
“The district has cooperated with local authorities about the LEAP account and information related to the case; our intent to prosecute rests on the facts of the situation, however unfortunate they may be,” said Mark Dennis, spokesman for the school district.
Before his hearing to determine a date for a pre-trial hearing, Carvajal paid the court $300, according to court records. He now owes the state $975.57, according to records.

Former Boulder education charity bookkeeper Diana Lewis sentenced to six years for embezzlement in Colorado

FROM DAILYCAMERA.COM -

The bookkeeper who stole almost $180,000 from an education charity in Boulder was sentenced to six years in prison on Friday.

Diana Lynn Lewis, 44, will also serve three years of mandatory parole for one count of felony theft after a sentencing hearing that featured emotional testimony from the CEO of Impact on Education, the nonprofit that Lewis embezzled from.
In her ruling, Judge Gwyneth Whalen cited the amount of money and the length of time over which the embezzling occurred as reasons for the sentence.
"In times of budget cuts to education, the district relies even more on the goodwill of the community," Whalen said. "That goodwill has been irreparably damaged."
Whalen also noted Lewis' previous conviction for stealing from an Alzheimer's facility meant she had to overlook the numerous letters of support from family and even some old work supervisors who said Lewis would "give the shirt off her back to anyone."
Lewis forged several checks a year to herself and family members worth approximately $178,000 from 2004 to 2010. She would then cut and paste bank statements and input false information in the organization's online accounting system to cover her tracks.
The CEO of Impact on Education, Fran Ryan, told the judge that they suspect Lewis stole even more money from the nonprofit, including silent auction items and even coins from a lemonade stand that students had donated.
"I worked three months of additional time to clean up this mess," said Ryan, who added that she has already had donors tell her they were no longer giving money to Impact on Education because of the incident. "I've cried about this. I'm crying now. I haven't seen any tears from Mrs. Lewis."
Lewis did shed tears while apologizing in brief remarks to the organization, as did her family members in attendance when the sentence was announced.
"She worked for Impact on Education, and the impact on education she chose to have was to put $178,000 in her own pocket," Assistant District Attorney Christopher Zenisek said at the hearing. "She had her opportunity to make good, and she failed."
The District Attorney's Office had been seeking eight years, but Zenisek said he felt the sentence was "appropriate."

Friends in high places in Colorado

As the Rev. Don Armstrong faces sentencing this week for a case that's part of the biggest illegal taking of church property in Colorado history, it might be easy to forget the involvement of local elected officials who've stood by Armstrong.



Then-4th Judicial District Attorney John Newsome and former El Paso County Clerk and Recorder Bob Balink served on the Grace Church and St. Stephen's Episcopal Church vestry, or board of directors, when the diocese investigation uncovered massive theft and as the vestry planned the parish's secession from the diocese.



As the judicial district's chief prosecutor at the time, Newsome eventually resigned from the vestry citing a conflict of interest, but only months after red flags suggested possible criminal prosecution. Newsome didn't return a phone call or an e-mail seeking comment on his involvement in the case.



'Possible improprieties'



Here's how the first year of the case played out, according to criminal court records and other records, including vestry minutes, that became exhibits in the civil property trial.



In March 2006, after receiving information from a former bookkeeper, the Colorado Episcopal Diocese retained a forensic accountant who went to the parish and took possession of the parish's financial documents.



On Dec. 8, 2006, parish attorney Derry Adams issued a memo to the vestry, including Newsome, outlining the offenses with which the diocese can charge, try and place a priest on administrative leave. She also outlined ownership of the church property as being "held in trust for the national Church (ECUSA) and for the Diocese in which the Parish is located." (Adams resigned as the vestry's legal counsel the following March.)



At a Dec. 18, 2006, special meeting, with Newsome in attendance, the vestry voted to have the church fund Armstrong's legal fees. Two weeks later, on Jan. 2, 2007, the vestry, including Newsome, would specify that the church would pay those fees up to $20,000, with the option to pay more in the future.



On Dec. 28, 2006, Adams notified the vestry by e-mail, including Newsome, that Bishop Robert O'Neill had issued a 90-day order barring Armstrong from the church property and from contact with church and vestry members. The basis was "results from the forensic auditors' preliminary findings" involving financial matters.



At a vestry meeting two days later, which Newsome attended, the bishop said the audit "suggested further investigation of possible financial improprieties and mismanagement of funds by the Rector." Here, Newsome moved, and Balink seconded the motion, to continue Armstrong's pay during his leave of absence. Newsome also moved for the vestry to meet with an investigator hired by Armstrong's attorney.



In January, rather than stepping aside, Newsome deepened his involvement by becoming Grace's junior warden, the vestry's vice chair.



On March 15, 2007, the diocese's attorney, Martin Nussbaum, outlined for the vestry, with Newsome in attendance, evidence of Armstrong's possible embezzlement activities discovered during the audit.



Sometime between March 15 and March 17, Newsome resigned, based on vestry members' e-mail exchanges. He announced his resignation and cited a potential conflict of interest in an e-mail to the media, saying, "It is well-known that Father Armstrong has been my priest and friend for over a decade." He added that he'd seek a special prosecutor should a law-enforcement agency decide to file charges.



(Not) by the book



On March 26, a portion of Grace members voted to secede from the diocese. That election used six county voting booths and a ballot box provided by Balink, the county's chief election official at the time, at a cost of $35. He says there was no conflict of interest, because such equipment is loaned to help other small elections.



In May 2007, the Colorado Springs Police Department began investigating Armstrong.



The following year, Newsome sought re-election. On June 12, 2008 — 11 days before the 10th Judicial District Attorney's Office was appointed as special prosecutor — Newsome accepted a $400 donation from Armstrong.



Armstrong's wife, Jessie, also gave Newsome $400 in August just before the primary election. Newsome lost to Dan May, who faced no general election opponent, and left office in January 2009. He reportedly attends church, renamed St. George's, with the breakaway group.



May says it's unclear when a special prosecutor was requested, because the book in his office used to track requests for or assignments of special prosecutors contains no entry for the Armstrong case. "We've gone totally through that book and cannot find a log sheet asking for a special prosecutor, which would be the normal habit," May says.



Balink, who is now county treasurer, voted with other vestry members on March 26, 2007, to move the church into the Convocation of Anglicans in North America. He later sat through the five-week civil trial where Armstrong's breakaway group attempted to lay legal claim to Grace's properties. Still a member of Armstrong's group, Balink says in an e-mail that he did not compromise his integrity during the Grace ordeal.



A grand jury was seated in late February 2009 and returned a 20-count indictment against Armstrong three months later.

No jail time for school official who embezzled taxpayer money in Colorado

Steve Atwood was an Adams 12 Five Star Schools success story: the local boy, a star athlete who returned to his hometown as a teacher and athletic director. But he was also robbing the school district blind.

The exact amount Atwood stole isn't known and probably never will be known. The best estimate is at least $190,000, money stolen from student funds, gate receipts from athletic events and taxpayer money.
On Thursday, Atwood stood in a courtroom with two other men who grew up in the Thornton area and went through the school system: Adams 12 superintendent Chris Gdowski and Adams County District Court Judge Chris Melonakis.
"It's terribly sad, Mr. Atwood, to see someone who has come as far as you have to disgrace yourself," Melonakis said. "It's a terrible failure on your part."
Prosecutors requested jail time for the felony embezzlement charge Atwood pled guilty to earlier this year.
Melonakis instead chose seven years of probation and 90 days of work release for Atwood, but not until after he castigated him for failing to be a good role model.
Melonakis said he would set aside his own personal feelings of disappointment to reach the sentence, yet he pointed to himself and Superintendent Gdowski as products of the school district living up to their responsibility to be role models.
"We owe it to them to do something more than what you've done in this case," Melonakis told Atwood.
"Many of us have overcome really tough circumstances and now see ourselves as important role models in the district and Steve's compromised that," Gdowski said.
Atwood has paid $20,000 restitution and may be ordered to pay more after an upcoming restitution hearing.
"I can't express how sorry I am for the selfish behavior I exhibited in the past," Atwood told the court.
Leaving court, Atwood and his attorney declined to comment further.
Gdowski said Atwood's actions had done "substantial damage" to the community's trust in Adams 12, a breach he said will take "a very, very long time to redeem and rebuild."
The superintendent outlined what that means in practical terms.
"You'll hear from comments from kids as they go door to door fundraising, saying, hey can you please buy some cookies or some pretzels because our athletic director stole a bunch of money from the district. We get e-mails and phone calls from people saying we dont know if we want to do a fundraiser, do we really trust that the money is going to go to the kids? Those kind of comments come in fairly often," Gdowski said.
"We're going to work very hard to rebuild the public trust in our district," Gdoswki said.
Atwood, 40, spent 18 years working for his alma mater, including five years as athletic director.
In that position, prosecutors said, Atwood enriched himself by pocketing revenues from ticket sales and concessions.
The thefts were discovered when Adams 12 brought on an internal auditor. Atwood resigned in 2009 when confronted about the missing money.
The school's internal audit found suspiciously low attendance numbers and subsequently, less revenue from sporting events. The audit only examined financial figures from the 2008-2009 school year.
That year, Atwood reported 481 paid admissions for a Legacy High School football game against Poudre High School, according to court documents. That raised red flags because a similar game drew 2,117 paid admissions.
Court documents outlined a string of brazen theft techniques by Atwood, including removing the large bills from concession stand cash registers claiming it was being done for security purposes.
Prosecutors were told by Atwood's ex-wife that she once found $10,000 of school money in a bag stuffed between a cabinet and a wall. She invited investigators to visit Atwood's home, claiming they would find a flat-screen TV that should have been installed at the Adams 12 sports stadium.
As a condition of his plea deal, Atwood can never again work for a public school.

Athletic Director Sentenced For Stealing From School District

A former athletic director for Adams 12 Five Star School district was sentenced Thursday for taking $20,000 from ticket and concession sales during games.

Steven Patrick Atwood, 41, was sentenced to seven years of probation, including 90 days work release to be served at the Adams County jail.
Atwood had pleaded guilty to felony embezzlement of public property in August. As part of that plea agreement, he agreed to pay $20,000 in






Prosecutors said Atwood stole thousands of dollars during sporting events held from September 2008 through May 2009.
Atwood resigned from his position in June 2009 when confronted with the allegations, which were uncovered during an internal audit. He had worked for 18 years with the Adams 12 Five School District.
He started in August 1991 and held positions as the assistant football coach, a work education teacher and dean of students -- all at Thornton High School. From March 2000 to September 2002, he was a districtwide driver's education teacher. He became director of athletics and activities in September 2002.
In July 2009, the Internal Auditor for Adams County School District 12 met with Thornton police regarding concern over discrepancies in money collected at school functions. Atwood was responsible for collecting and depositing money for school sporting events.
Financial reports generated by Atwood showed larger amounts collected than deposited.
“This case is beyond mere embezzlement or theft. It is a violation of trust," said District Attorney Don Quick. “This man stole from students, tax payers and the school district. In addition, given the current school budget situation, especially with teachers positions and salaries being cut, embezzling from a school is a particularly callous crime.”

Woman ordered to pay $179,670 for embezzling from church in Colorado Springs, Colorado

A judge has ordered a former church bookkeeper to pay $179,670 in restitution and write an apology to members of a Colorado Springs congregation after she pleaded guilty to stealing church funds.Fourth Judicial District Judge Deborah Grohs sentenced Jennifer Lynne Butts on Sept. 22 after she had pleaded guilty to felony theft for taking money from the Calvary United Methodist Church.Grohs ordered Butts, 53, to serve 90 days of home detention plus 6 years probation and to perform 200 hours of community service. She also was ordered not to work as a bookkeeper or any job that involved financial management.Butts’ lawyer could not immediately be reached for comment Thursday. Some of the restitution has been paid. Court records showed a balance of $131,116 due on the day Butts was sentenced. That figure also included court costs.According to court records, the case came to light in November when a pastor called police to the church at 4210 Austin Bluffs Parkway to report that an ex-employee had admitted to stealing $13,000.Church officials had discovered the money was missing as the result of an audit. They told police that Butts had submitted a letter Nov. 25 admitting to the theft. In the letter, she stated that she used the money to pay medical bills for her daughter, who had suffered a skiing accident in Summit County in January 2009.I have no excuse but to say I was desperate. We were overwhelmed with lawyer and court bills,” the letter stated. “I kept this all to myself and tried to pay some of it off. I did not tell my husband because I was so ashamed. I really thought that I could get it paid back.”In March, police said a church auditor presented them with bank records showing fraudulent transactions totaling $106,977 from November 2007 to August 2009. The auditor told police that Butts concealed the theft by showing the money as having been paid for various church expenses.Pastor David Amrie said church officials were surprised when they learned of the theft.“We believe that justice has been done,” Amrie said Thursday. “We continue to hold Jennifer in our prayers.”

Attorneys satisfied with Rev. Armstrong plea agreement in Colorado

Attorneys for the Rev. Donald Armstrong and the Pueblo District Attorney’s office were pleased Monday with the plea agreement in the criminal case involving the former rector of Grace and St. Stephen’s Church in Colorado Springs.A Fourth Judicial District grand jury indicted Armstrong in May 2009 on 20 felony counts of embezzling $392,000 from Grace Church. Armstrong on Friday pled no contest to one felony count, according to El Paso County court files. Though Armstrong in his plea doesn’t admit guilt, the court views it in a legal sense as a guilty plea.As part of the agreement, Armstrong admitted guilt to a new charge, misdemeanor theft, said Pueblo District Attorney Bill Thiebaut. A sentencing hearing on this charge will happen before the end of the year.Armstrong’s sentence could include a fine of up to $5,000 and up to 18 months in the El Paso County Jail. Misdemeanor charges are brought for thefts between $500 and $1,000. On the felony count, Armstrong has been placed on four-year’s probation. If violated, he will be a convicted felon and could face four to 12 years in prison, Thiebaut said. A restitution hearing will be held, probably in January, to determine how much money Armstrong must pay back to Grace Church.Both sides claimed victory in the plea bargain.“It’s about as close to a dismissal as we could get,” said Armstrong’s attorney, Dennis Hartley.“This was a just solution,” Thiebaut said.Larry Hitt, chancellor of the Episcopal Diocese of Colorado, said in a statement: “We believe Armstrong’s entry of a ‘no contest’ plea to a class 3 felony theft charge and his effective guilty pleas to a class 1 misdemeanor theft charge constitute a tacit acknowledgement of the truth of the criminal charges against him.”Armstrong, 61, was accused of using church and trust money to fund his two children’s education while rector of Grace and St. Stephen’s between July 1999 and March 2006. The allegations led the Episcopal Diocese of Colorado to place Armstrong on leave in December 2006. He was defrocked the following year.In May 2007, the Colorado Springs police began its criminal investigation of Armstrong, resulting in a Fourth Judicial District grand jury returning a 20-count indictment of felony theft charges against him two years later.The criminal trial was supposed to begin in October, but several weeks ago the DA’s office initiated talks to reach a plea agreement.The Pueblo District Attorney’s office is prosecuting the case because of a conflict of interest with the Springs DA’s office. Former Springs DA John Newsome is a former member of Armstrong’s church vestry.Hartley said the DA’s office started talks because it knew it had a bad case. “There was a real question of what could be proved against Don Armstrong (at trial),” he said.The biggest factor, Hartley said, was that 19 of the 20 counts might be dismissed due to the statute of limitations, which is three years in a Colorado criminal case.Thiebaut had no comment about the statute of limitations issue.Armstrong agreed to the plea bargain, Hartley said, because it was a toss up how a jury would react to the evidence. “If you get a bad jury or bad breaks at trial, you can get an adverse verdict,” Hartley said.Hartley indicated it was unlikely Armstrong will have to pay anything near the $392,000 alleged in the felony charge. He said the DA’s office included a lot of costs Armstrong had nothing do with.The criminal case isn’t the first controversy involving Armstrong and the Episcopal Church.After Armstrong was defrocked, he became in March 2007 a priest within the Convocation of Anglicans in North America, a conservative province in the Anglican Communion. His Anglican breakaway parish occupied Grace Church downtown until a Fourth Judicial District court ruling in March 2009 forced them out.Armstrong renamed his parish St. George’s Anglican Church and rented property to worship at in the Mountain Shadows area.At the time, Armstrong said the break was due to theological differences with the Episcopal Church, the U.S. arm of the Anglican Communion.Armstrong also said that the theft accusations were manufactured by the diocese because of his criticism of the Episcopal Church’s acceptance of gays in church leadership roles and liberal interpretation of Scripture.Those ideas resurfaced in a statement on the plea bargain posted on St. George’s website.We have become convinced even more strongly that controversies within (the Episcopal Church) were the catalyst for the Diocese’s investigation and complaint, for the purpose of silencing our bold and successful defense of orthodoxy through our parish’s life, discipline, and teaching ministry,” the statement says.On Sunday, Armstrong and his St. George’s congregation were upbeat about the plea agreement, sources say. Many in the parish hugged Armstrong and wished him well.
St. George’s member Colleen Miller said she’s “relieved and excited” by the outcome.Edwin Montgomery, a vestry member at Grace and St. Stephen’s from 2003 to 2006, said the theft accusations against Armstrong were “a vendetta from the word go.”“My support for Father Armstrong is firm,” he said.

Naropa says $450,000 was embezzled from school in Boulder, Colorado

Naropa University says about $450,000 has been embezzled from the Buddhist-inspired school over the past two years. Naropa President Stuart Lord says an employee suspected of taking the money was fired last week. No charges have been filed.
Lord says the university is cooperating with law enforcement. He says the alleged embezzlement was discovered by an internal investigation launched after a tip from the FBI.
An FBI spokesman declined to comment on whether the agency is investigating.
Lord says two other employees were fired for allegedly failing to establish proper controls but that neither is suspected of wrongdoing.
Naropa was founded in 1974. Its teachers have included poets Allen Ginsberg and Anne Waldman and composer John Cage.