Former Taher employee accused of embezzling lunch money from Brown Deer School District

Jennifer Dettmann, 48, of Kewaskum was employed by Taher Inc., a food service vendor, as the school district's food service director from April 2008 to January 2016. 

On Jan. 16, she was charged with embezzlement (more than $10,000) in Milwaukee County Circuit Court.

Dettmann's alleged embezzlement scheme started to come to light toward the end of the 2015-16 school year, when newly hired Finance Director Jeff Pruefer and Maryann Newenhouse, the district accountant, noticed a significant difference between Taher's reported sales and the food service funds deposited into the district’s bank account.

According to a criminal complaint, Dettmann would deposit only electronic funds, checks and a portion of the cash she received into the district's computer system. After creating a deposit slip for those funds, she would input the remaining cash not previously entered during the first batch. She would not generate a deposit slip for the second batch of cash, so that she could take the cash for herself, the complaint alleged.

By inputting the cash she stole into the district's computer system, Dettman ensured the funds that parents provided were still credited to their students' food service accounts.

"This allowed Dettmann to continue her scheme without fear of parent complaints of missing funds," the complaint stated.

Pruefer started investigating the history of the food service account, and found similar shortfalls dating back to the 2011-12 school year.

Pruefer was able to locate yearly “sales writeoffs,” representing the difference in the amount of sales Taher reported each year and the amount of money the district deposited in the bank.

The discrepancies ranged between $14,000 and $28,000 per year between 2011 and 2016. Over the course of that five-year period, the discrepancy between the two funds totaled $109,885, according to the complaint.

After Dettmann resigned in January 2016, the district did not find any more significant discrepancies between the amount of sales and cash deposited in the bank.

In an interview with a Brown Deer police officer on Nov. 29, 2018, Dettmann admitted that she embezzled money that was supposed to be deposited into the school district bank accounts. She told police she was unsure how much money she took, but believed it to be about $50,000, according to the complaint.

Dettmann was scheduled to make her initial court appearance on Jan. 30.

Former Fort Atkinson pastor pleads guilty to theft

A former Fort Atkinson minister who shattered the trust of his congregation members has been sentenced to two years on probation for embezzling from his church.

The Rev. Bryan Engfer originally was charged with a single count of theft in a business setting of $5,000 to $10,000 for embezzling from his congregation at Trinity Lutheran Church in Fort Atkinson between April 2012 and April 2018.

On Friday, he pleaded guilty to an amended charge of theft in a business setting of $2,500 to $5,000.

Jefferson County Circuit Court Judge Ben Brantmeier imposed and stayed a sentence totaling one month in jail and subsequently placed Engfer on probation for a total of two years, per a joint recommendation by Jefferson County Assistant District Attorney Monica Hall and Engfer’s attorney, Scott McCarthy.

Under the law, the judge is to consider probation as the first option unless confinement is necessary to protect the public, the offender needs correctional treatment only available in confinement or if the judge believes probation would unduly depreciate the seriousness of the offense.

It was the last point on which Brantmeier acknowledged being stuck.

“You, Mr. Engfer, were in a position of trust,” he said. “Everything you’ve done good for the community is something I will look at, but the trust the parishioners had in you has been betrayed.”

Brantmeier acknowledged that the many good things Engfer did for the community spiritually and for those in need were significant.

“Usually I’m sitting up here looking at sheets of a criminal record,” he said. “What I’m looking at is what you did for the community and how you rose above and helped, only to have that trust shattered.”

Also, the judge pointed to what he defined as a continuing pattern of undesirable behavior, referring to the inappropriate use of the funds going on for several years.

Despite those actions, Brantmeier noted that many of Engfer’s former congregation members still hold his trust.

He also cited a victim impact statement written by the Rev. Amy Waelchi, current pastor at Trinity, that states, “Individually and collectively, we are working toward forgiveness with knowledge that God forgives, and yet even with God, consequences remain. Bryan Engfer must face the consequences of his actions, which he seems unwilling to do.”

Brantmeier acknowledged that some of the comments arose from Engfer being instructed not to speak to anyone about the allegations prior to its resolution.

“By using his role as pastor and the implicit trust in him, he has broken more than laws; in some cases, he has broken people’s faith,” Waelchi wrote. “I have had several people tell me they have lost their faith because of what Bryan has done. People from all walks of life feel broken and betrayed.”

The judge also highlighted the expectations of a pastor provided to him by the church.

“You will need to live with that guilt and ask forgiveness,” Brantmeier told the former pastor. “That is something I can’t give you; that is something only our Lord can give.”

As conditions of probation, Engfer is to pay Trinity Lutheran Church restitution of $16,257.

He also was directed to maintain full-time employment or pursue an education program and undergo any assessment, treatment or counseling as directed.

Engfer, who was installed at Trinity Lutheran as associate pastor in May 1991 and resigned from the church on May 1, 2018, before the embezzlement investigation began, due to reasons not related to the alleged crime, apologized for his actions.

“I would just like to sincerely admit my guilt and apologize to members of my family, to the church, to anyone who has been impacted by my actions,” he said. “I take full responsibility for very poor choices. I regret and I’m very humbled and saddened by what I did.”

During her presentation, Hall pointed out how much the allegations had impacted the community.

“The defendant was an incredibly well-respected member of his community in a very thriving church flock who looked up to him,” she said, noting that in the aftermath of his departure from the church, she heard from people upset about him not being available for baptisms and weddings.

“He also was just an involved member of the community and was generally well-respected and well-liked, which caused a lot of division and issues as things started to come out about this case and about the reasons behind his sudden departure from his position as pastor at Trinity,” the prosecutor said. “There has been ongoing division in the church in general and it has been very difficult for the church council and the current pastor to try and address what is happening with all the members of the church. They are trying to be as forthright as they could and as merciful as they could.”

She added that Waelchi and the council are grateful that the issue has been resolved quickly and that Engfer is taking responsibility for his actions.

He was arrested by the Fort Atkinson Police Department on Thursday, Aug. 9, 2018, in relation to the allegation. He was booked and released with a referral made to the Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office.

Congregation members were informed of the embezzlement allegations via a letter dated Aug. 7 from the 12-member Trinity Lutheran Church Council that detailed the results of an independent audit of the Pastor’s Discretionary Fund by Wegner CPA, Madison.

Hall said the audit of the “Pastor’s Discretionary Fund” showed that the transactions identified by the church counsel and Rev. Waelchli as being fraudulent totaled $13,857.41 and occurred between April 2012 and April 2018. Engfer reportedly had sole control over the fund and repeatedly denied church officials an opportunity to audit the account, which was intended to be used to help people in need of gas money, rent and utilities.

The church treasurer annually asked Engfer for the information necessary to audit the account, but never was given the information. Following his resignation, Engfer had left a checkbook and register for the Pastor’s Discretionary Fund checking account on his office desk.

Checks were found to have been issued to “KMCC.” which is the abbreviation for the Koshkonong Mounds Country Club, where Engfer is a member. Additional checks were written out to Engfer himself with “continuing education reimbursement” written in the memo line. No supporting documentation for such reimbursements was available.

Also, there was a check written out to Goben cars for a vehicle purchased for Engfer.

There were entries found for “FACT” (Fort Atkinson Community Theater), an organization of which Engfer was a member, but not one the church-authorized funds. In addition, there were checks made out to Engfer’s daughter and other members of his family.

“Perhaps what is most upsetting about that piece is that had Engfer gone to the church council, there may have been an opportunity for him to have some of those items paid for by the church,” she said.

She explained that the church’s insurance would cover up to $100,000, but a police report would need to be filed. The church council ultimately voted to file a police report.

“Really, they were trying to have the defendant be held accountable for the misuse of this fund and recoup some of the money that the church is really owed, while at the same time not trying to appear vindictive,” Hall said. “I think the church would like me to inform the court, like I said at the beginning, that it is happy that the defendant has taken responsibility and that he has resolved this quickly so that church community can really start to genuinely heal and come together again as church community and learn to trust one another again.”

She noted that since the allegations against Engfer were revealed, the Pastor’s Discretionary Fund was closed and the church now operates a Good Samaritan Fund viewable to everyone. The money will be capped at $250 per household or once a year, with the situation to be revisited if needed, but special permission is required.

Engfer’s attorney suggested that the entire scenario was an anomalous situation for Engfer.

“In my 27 years of practice, I’m not sure I’ve met a finer human being,” McCarthy said, citing Engfer’s years of helping countless congregation members and being an active volunteer.

“As I’ve had an opportunity to represent Mr. Engfer — I represented Mr. Engfer in his divorce, as well — I’ve had numerous people come to my office to talk to me about him,” he said.

The attorney noted that he instructed the former pastor to not to speak to anyone about the charges or the events surrounding them.

“His marriage had been failing for four or five years; that is one of the reasons he left the church,” McCarthy said. “He had tremendous stress at home. Obviously, no excuse for what was going on.”

Also, he suggested that Engfer was filling a number of transition roles at the church and one significant staff member who had left the church abruptly, while apparently unable to utilize the Pastor’s Discretionary Fund.

“In my view, I think one of the things that happened here is because he was unable to do those things, I think he started thinking, ‘if I can’t do those things, maybe I can do this,’” McCarthy said, acknowledging that it still was inexcusable and Engfer likely would have gotten approval for many of the items had he gone to the church council.

“I think he was embarrassed asking for anything further,” he said. “That is my feeling about what went on. There is no excuse for the conduct.”

Continuing, the defense attorney pointed out that when Engfer first approached him, he had no interest in hearing about any defense or any negotiations. He just wanted to enter a plea.

“In other aspects of his life, Mr. Engfer is a very good man who has done many good things,” McCarthy said. “He betrayed the trust of his church. That is a guilt that he will never be able to overcome and it will live with him forever.”

Roberts, Wisconsin couple accused of embezzling church funds

St. Croix County authorities allege a Roberts woman and her husband embezzled about $190,000 from a rural church over the course of nearly 10 years.

Kara K. Amundson-LaVenture and Michael LaVenture return to court next week on felony theft charges. LaVenture’s charges stipulate he was party to a crime. Amundson-LaVenture also faces one count of unauthorized identity use, a felony. A preliminary hearing in both cases is set for Tuesday, Jan. 3.

The couple was responsible for $167,551 in unauthorized checks and $21,898 in missing cash from New Centerville United Methodist Church, according to a criminal complaint filed in the case. The charges allege the thefts occurred between February 2006 and May 2015.

The complaint states the Amundson-LaVenture used the church’s identity to open a credit card account, the balance of which exceeds its $12,000 limit. In addition to paying church bills, Amundson-LaVenture was entrusted with collecting church donations and fundraising proceeds, according to reports.

The St. Croix County Sheriff’s Office began investigating the case in 2015 after a new pastor took over at United Methodist churches in New Centerville — located in the town of Rush River — and Hammond, and learned the New Centerville church’s treasurer had been embezzling funds.

Bail conditions set by St. Croix County Circuit Court Judge Scott Needham for the husband and wife include a $25,000 signature bond and a requirement prohibiting them from contact with the church.

According to the complaint:

The pastor, Kathy Huneywell, turned over notes from the previous pastor, Steve Rice, which chronicled the situation beginning in May 2015.

“At a closed meeting for the New Centerville Ad Council, Kara LaVenture read a prepared statement admitting that she had embezzled money from the church since 2012,” the complaint states.

Amundson-LaVenture’s husband claimed at the time that he was unaware for years of the embezzlement. He provided an estimate of $39,392 in stolen funds and offered to pay back the church in installments.

It was learned during the transition to the new pastor that Amundson-LaVenture hadn’t been paying the church’s apportionments — fees paid to the Wisconsin Conference United Methodist Church — or other bills.

The church council decided at the time not to pursue criminal charges against her and sought to keep the embezzlement a secret to protect Amundson-LaVenture’s family. Church officials learned the next day that while the church was insured against embezzlement, claims would only be paid if the incident was reported to law enforcement.

The insurance company, Church Mutual, on May 19 gave New Centerville a 120-day deadline to file for the loss and to notify authorities.

Amundson-LaVenture had resigned her treasurer post by that point, a church council member noted that same day. A church council member later learned LaVenture had been writing checks to the church, cashing them and keeping the funds.

The couple turned over a $15,000 check to the church May 27, 2015, which represented the first payment on the stolen funds. However, in June 2015, the insurance company told the church that it would not be liable for any claims if New Centerville cashed the $15,000 check.

Amundson-LaVenture’s father, an accountant, determined she was responsible for $168,000 and attempted to work out a nine-year repayment plan with the church — a plan that the church council rejected.

Sheriff’s investigators executed a search warrant at the couple’s 157th Street home in the town of Hammond.

While executing the warrant, LaVenture told investigators he would talk if that meant he wouldn’t go to jail — an offer that authorities didn’t accept. But LaVenture began voluntarily talking to an investigator after first invoking his right to silence pending an attorney. The investigator reminded him that anything he said could be used against him in court.

“Michael stated that he did not care because he had nothing to do with the theft, his wife Kara was responsible,” the complaint states. “Michael stated that Kara will admit it was her fault and take full responsibility and tell everyone that he had nothing to do with the theft.”

He then admitted to being responsible for “maybe three checks,” one of which $61 was spent for a church cleanup day.

In October 2016, another sheriff’s investigator met with Huneywell and received an audit from a firm hired by the church’s insurance company that listed $159,751 in losses.

A review by sheriff’s investigator James Haefner revealed the combined loss of checks and missing cash at $189,448.

Haefner also noted in the complaint that expenses on the maxed-out credit card opened under the church’s name included charges for Amazon on-demand videos, a Canadian Walmart, Nordstrom’s, Victoria’s Secret, and hotels in Nebraska and New Mexico.

Greek Orthodox priest pleads guilty to church embezzlement

A Greek Orthodox priest pleaded guilty Monday to embezzling more than $100,000 from his former parish in Wauwatosa, but under a deferred prosecution deal he will get only a misdemeanor conviction if he stays out of trouble for a year.

Neither the Rev. James Dokos nor his attorneys, Patrick Knight and Franklyn Gimbel, made any comment after a hearing before Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Jeffrey Conen.

Dokos, 63, of Chicago, was charged in 2014 with using about $100,000 intended for Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church for lavish dinners, jewelry for his wife and everyday expenses. He had been the pastor at the church about 20 years.

By the time he was charged, Dokos had already been transferred to Sts. Peter and Paul in Glenview, Ill., one of the largest and most affluent Greek Orthodox churches in the Chicago area.

Theft in a business setting of more than $10,000 — which is a felony — carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison, plus five years of supervised release and a $25,000 fine. But Conen agreed to withhold entry of judgment, and if Dokos meets various reporting and community service requirements, in a year Conen will instead enter judgment for misdemeanor theft. As part of the agreement, Assistant District Attorney David Robles said he will recommend an unspecified fine at that time.

Robles also told Conen that he met earlier in the month with members of Annunciation to explain the agreement and take questions. He said Dokos has already paid restitution of more than $10,000, and that the plea settles all known criminal and civil actions arising from Dokos' conduct.

George Karcazes, a longtime member and volunteer in the Glenview parish, attended Monday's hearing.

"The biggest reason this is an insult," he said afterward, "is the bishop tried to get him off." Karcazes was referring to a letter sent, under seal, to Conen. Karcazes, a lawyer, said he planned to seek to have the letter unsealed.

He said for two years after news broke of Dokos' criminal charges in Wisconsin, some 40 families left the Chicago-area parish, and stewardship dropped $250,000.

Dokos was eventually suspended as pastor of Sts. Peter and Paul, but he remains a priest in good standing. Karcazes said he gets assigned to help out as needed at other Chicago area parishes.

Some of the money Dokos took from a trust intended to benefit Annunciation Church went to Bishop Demetrios of Mokissos, the No. 2 official in the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Chicago, to which the Wauwatosa church belongs.

Karcazes said that when the Sts. Peter and Paul parish council president asked Metropolis officials to put Dokos on leave during the criminal case, he was instead removed from his position.

According to the criminal complaint against Dokos:

The theft was discovered by Annunciation's parish council in 2013, months after Dokos had transferred to Glenview. From 2008 to 2012, he diverted money from a trust a couple had left for the construction of a cultural center at the church while he was serving as successor trustee after the death of the trust's creator.

Ervin and Margaret Franczak created the trust in 1984. In 2004, Margaret Franczak, as the surviving trustee, named Dokos her successor. The last of several amendments to the trust occurred in 2007. Upon Margaret Franczak's death, Dokos was to get $5,000, a car and any property of the trust.

Twenty thousand dollars was to go to three charities, and all the rest to the church for a cultural center.

Margaret died in 2008. Dokos turned over $1.1 million to the church. But investigation revealed money remained in the trust, the complaint says, and Dokos had changed the address on the trust's bank account to his home in 2008.

Over the following years, according to the complaint, Dokos wrote checks for more than $110,000 for "clearly personal expenditures," such as gifts to his daughter, his cable bill, medical expenses, $5,000 for jewelry for Dokos' wife, trips and credit card bills.

Cases of Embezzlement & Fraud lead to changes at two school districts in Wisconsin

Two school districts are making major changes after separate cases of employee fraud and embezzlement. 

Janesville Superintendent Karen Schulte says since Jessica Warner-Reed admitted to stealing $300,000 in student funds, they have revised their fund hand book and are now eyeballing the books with new software.

"A Quicken system where the finance team here can be looking directly at the computer on the ballot sheets," Schulte said.

She says she struggled with the thought that a Craig High School Clerk could do this.

"I'm very saddened and disappointed that this happened," Schulte said.

Another measure the district has taken included hiring fee handlers who take money from students and make sure it gets to the bank.

"We'll be counting money, recounting money, we'll have a checks and balance system," she added.

In Waunakee, Former Athletic Director Brian Smith is now on probation following school credit card fraud.  The school's superintendent Randy Guttenberg says to avoid credit card fraud flying under the radar, they've amped up their auditing.

"As we are processing the credit card, we are randomly pulling credit cards and statements, making sure it is up to policy," Guttenberg said.

Former employee steals more than $100,000 from donated school funds in Manitowoc, Wisconsin

 Manitowoc Lutheran High School staff are making changes to their accounting system after learning money was missing from their accounts last year.

"We have started from the ground up and are doing all those things to regain trust with our donors, our parents and the 23 churches that own us," said director of mission advancement, Scott Reinhard.

Reinhard is installing new software and hiring trained professionals to handle book keeping after losing more than $100,000 to Wanda Larson, the school's former accountant.

"The employee was an office manager that would have had access," said Detective Sergeant, David Vorpahl with the Manitowoc Police Department.

 

According to the criminal complaint, "Airline tickets, car rentals and hotel reservations were made in Wanda's name."

 

The complaint also says Larson would buy things and "gave a lot of the stuff away and would also take people out to dinner."

 

When police asked her about the trips Larson said, "she took them for her grandchildren, so they would have some memories."

 

"Our approach to this has been to say we're going to trust our authorities," said Reinhard about the investigation.

 

When asked why she did this Larson told police, "They (the school) treated women so bad and they continue to put more work on her."

 

Larson is facing 4 felony charges of embezzlement since she stole money from 4 different school accounts.

Janesville School District mum on embezzlement impact

FROM http://www.gazettextra.com/

The Janesville School District refuses to discuss how it has changed its money-handling procedures in response to the embezzlement of more than $300,000 from Craig High School over 10 years.

Superintendent Karen Schulte said Friday that she would not speak "at all" about how employees handle money, how procedures were changed to prevent future losses, how much money was transferred to student organizations to compensate for their losses, who authorized the transfers and what accounts were involved, among other things.

Janesville police believe that Jessica Warner-Reed, who was arrested Tuesday, stole more than $300,000 while she was the “banker” for Craig from 2006 to 2015.

Warner-Reed started as a clerical worker in December 2004 and became “the banker” in 2006.

The missing money came from student clubs, sports teams and other organizations whose money Warner-Reed collected and deposited.

Warner-Reed is scheduled to be in court Jan. 25.

When asked why she would not respond to general questions about district money-handling procedures, Schulte said it's "because so many things are related to the case."

"I think it's really important to follow what the district attorney has asked of us," Schulte said. "I don't think that that's much to ask. We want justice to prevail, so we certainly comply with all of our partners, just like we complied with the police investigation. Remember how everybody was hounding us about 'What's going on? There's rumors at Craig High School'?

"The police have it," she said. "Let them do their investigation. And I think they have the ability to do a better, cleaner investigation if we keep our fingers out of it. They're the experts, not me."

Schulte said Rock County District Attorney David O'Leary told her specifically to be cautious about how she talks about the case.

"If there are particular questions that come up or areas of comment, (O'Leary advised) that discussions either go to him or our own attorneys," Schulte said. "We've had many discussions with them lately because we want to comply with the law."

The Gazette contacted O'Leary via email Wednesday, asking how long the request that Schulte not comment would continue. O'Leary responded by citing these statutes:

—Supreme Court Rule 20:3.6: Trial Publicity states that a lawyer who is participating or has participated in the investigation or litigation of a matter shall not make an extra judicial statement that the lawyer knows or reasonably should know will be disseminated by means of public communication and will have a substantial likelihood of materially prejudicing an adjudicative proceeding in the matter.

—Supreme Court Rule 20:3.8(f)(2): Special responsibilities of a prosecutor states that a prosecutor in a criminal case or a proceeding that could result in deprivation of liberty shall exercise reasonable care to prevent investigators, law enforcement personnel, employees or other persons assisting or associated with the prosecutor in a criminal case from making an extra judicial statement that the prosecutor would be prohibited from making under SCR 20:3.6.

"These ethical obligations continue while the criminal matter is under investigation and/or pending before the court," O'Leary said in the email.

The Gazette reporter responded by saying he was not asking about the case, but rather how long Schulte will be under a gag order.

O'Leary responded Thursday, saying:

"Of course you are asking about the case. Your question...is how the thefts affected the victims of the crime. There is no gag order, only the prosecutor's ethical obligations to prevent bias to a potential jury as set forth below."

The Gazette reporter responded Thursday, asking what specifically O'Leary told Schulte not to say. As of Friday afternoon, The Gazette had not received a response.

Janesville police Detective Chris Buescher said Friday that the police department would have no new information until Warner-Reed makes an initial court appearance or a criminal complaint is issued.

"Eventually, all of it will get out," Buescher said. "Right now, with the court proceedings, we're really limited in what we can say."

The school district made its student activity accounts whole last summer by transferring money to them, according to a news release issued Wednesday by the district. It is unclear how that affected district operations.

Board member Bill Sodemann said the school board never voted on replenishing any accounts. It was done internally, he said.

"We never took a vote at all," Sodemann said. "Obviously, that would be an open session item and on the agenda."

Sodemann said he is unsure of the amount the district spent to refill the accounts. He said he didn't learn of the amount missing until recently.

"I'm guessing they're not going to tell us the entire amount," Sodemann said. "They don't want to be specific so they can catch as much as they can catch."

"The money raised by clubs had to be replenished, so the district has to cover that," he said. "I wouldn't expect a vote on that. Replenish it, then go after her, and maybe money comes back from insurance."

Sodemann said he is unaware of what new procedures, if any, the district is using to manage funds besides tweaks to the handbook.

"I'm not sure which points are new compared to which parts are being emphasized from before," Sodemann said.

"But I'm going to have more questions," he said. "I don't want to impede on the investigation, but I want to dig in when we can to find out what happened, what could have been avoided and how to avoid this in the future."

The Gazette filed an open records request Thursday, asking the school district for internal audits of Craig's finances, emails between district administrators about the embezzlement and memos to staff advising them not to speak publicly about the issue.

The request was denied Friday morning. School district attorney Julie Lewis said in a written response that "the requested records are related to a pending criminal investigation and are exempt" under state statutes.

Woman pleads guilty in Stoughton, Wisconsin Wrestling Club embezzlement

A Stoughton woman accused of embezzling money from a youth sports club for years will spend less than a year in jail but a decade of probation paying back her victims, according to online records.

Deanna R. Braaten, 50, pleaded guilty to six felony charges Monday, according to Dane County court records. Seven other counts were dismissed but read in.

Braaten was accused of bilking money from the Stoughton Viking Wrestling Club from 2009 through 2015, a total of $86,000.

Braaten was sentenced to 11 months in jail followed by 10 years probation. Braaten won't serve any prison time, but will instead be required to pay restitution. The need to work to pay restitution was a factor in the sentence, according to a Stoughton Courier Hub report.

Police also said detectives found evidence that Braaten had taken more than $270,000 from a vulnerable adult, a woman she helped care for, in Stoughton over the same time period, using those funds to cover her family's purchases and debts.

Former New Berlin, Wisconsin teacher charged in laptop thefts

FROM JSONLINE.COM

A former New Berlin high school teacher accused of stealing 18 laptops from the school was charged Monday with four counts of misdemeanor theft.

Amanda Rhyner, 27, a former high school English teacher, will make her first court appearance on Aug. 11.

According to a criminal complaint:

School officials at New Berlin Eisenhower Middle and High School first became aware of a possible theft when a Waukesha man contacted Dell to change the ownership information. Dell, in turn, notified the school, which had registered the laptop.

School officials spoke to the Waukesha man who said he purchased the laptop from Rhyner in September for $100. The man provided emails and a phone number that matched Rhyner's contact information.

A complete inventory of the laptops showed that 18 were missing and three of the missing laptops were last connected to the school on Oct. 13. When officers reviewed the security footage, they saw Rhyner go in and out of her classroom, and others, with a laptop bag and large blue bin.

The school district removed Rhyner from teaching last fall when the theft was discovered,

Greek Orthodox Priest accused of embezzlement

A Greek Orthodox priest accused of embezzling church money to support a luxury lifestyle was a no-show in court Thursday, writes the Greek Reporter.
Father James Dokos missed his first court appearance because his car broke down.
When the court clerk called Dokos‘ case, his attorney appeared alone, saying the priest’s car broke down on the way.
“There were some travel problems, and as a result, we communicated that it’s rescheduled for Monday afternoon,” Dokos‘ attorney Patrick Knight said.
According to prosecutors, Greek Orthodox priest James Dokos will be charged with felony theft amid allegations that he pocketed more than $110,000 from a church trust fund, reports ChicagoTribune.
According to Wisconsin authorities and a criminal complaint, Rev. Dokos used a Milwaukee Greek-Orthodox church’s funds to pay personal expenses while he was serving there. A formal investigation into the case had been launched by the district attorney’s office in Milwaukee last September but Rev. Dokos was not charged then.
The investigation looks into how money was distributed from the trust fund set up to benefit the Annunciation Church in Milwaukee. Dokos oversaw the trust fund as pastor at Annunciation before being transferred to Glenview’s Saints Peter and Paul in 2012.
In 2013, James Gottreich, Parish Council President at Saints Peter and Paul Church in Glenview, Illinois, wrote to Metropolitan Iakovos, the head of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Chicago, asking to suspend the Rev. James Dokos, until the conclusion of the criminal investigation.
Then, the Greek Orthodox Church of Chicago removed Gottreich from the parish council while Metropolitan Iakovos wrote in a statement that he was “astonished” by the Glenview parish council’s “inappropriate suspicion and deceitful maneuverings rather than the support of its own pastor in time of need.”
The lawyers of Chicago’s Metropolis conducted their own review of the administration and use of the trust fund without finding any wrongdoing.

Green Bay woman charged with writing bad checks to local churches

A Green Bay woman who was previously convicted of embezzlement is now accused of writing worthless checks to a half-dozen Catholic churches.

39-year-old Vicki Patterson is charged with four counts of writing bad checks. Two felony counts were filed earlier this month, and she's scheduled to have a preliminary hearing on those Friday in Brown County Circuit Court.

Online court records also list two misdemeanor bad check charges -- and the status of that case will be reviewed Friday.

Patterson is accused of writing almost $5,700 in bad checks to Catholic parishes to buy scrip cards, used by churches to raise funds. Scrip cards allow buyers to make purchases at local businesses, with the parishes to get part of the proceeds.

One church reportedly tried canceling a scrip card once it learned about the bad check -- but Patterson had already reportedly used it.

She was freed from prison last fall, after a three-year term for embezzling $44,000 as an officer at the Green Bay Swim Club. She was also convicted in 2001 for stealing $3,000 while she was a part-time dance instructor for De Pere's recreation department.

Former Church bookkeeper accused of embezzlement in Wisconsin

Accused of embezzling more than $70,000 from the St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Webster and the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in A&H, Michelle M. Blake, 34, Webster, is free on a $10,000 signature bond following her bail hearing last Thursday.
The tale began when Father Michael Tupa, parish priest, and Lawrence French, the church's internal auditor, found some inconsistencies in the QuickBooks accounting program, the program Blake used when she worked as secretary/bookkeeper for the churches from Oct. 2010 to Sept. 2013.
Tupa and French took their concerns to the Webster Police Department. From further investigation, it appeared the defendant was falsifying the church's computerized financial records to cover up her thefts.
According to the probable cause statement attached to the warrant for Blake's arrest, during the time of her employment she had written 47 checks to herself from the St. John the Baptist's checking account totaling $42,959.61 and 30 checks from the Sacred Heart's checking account totaling $34,904.22.
To cover the fact she was allegedly writing checks to herself, Blake falsified records when she entered the activity into Quickbooks, listing a different vendor name under the same check number as she had written to herself.
Further investigation showed the checks in question were written and cashed by the defendant at various banks in the area.
A search warrant executed at the defendant's residence located an envelope which contained several un-cashed checks from  parishioners written to Webster Area Catholic Churches.
Blake, according to the probable cause statement, had acquired a stamp with Father Tupa's signature. Tupa told police he never authorized such a stamp.
The two counts of theft from a business setting in excess of $10,000 are Class G felonies and each carries a maximum penalty of up to 10 years in prison, up to a $25,000 fine or both.
An initial appearance for Blake has been set for 2 p.m. on Wednesday, January 22 in Burnett County Circuit Court.

Burlington, Wisconsin schools investigate lunch money irregularity

The Burlington Area School District is investigating an “irregularity” in the bank deposits of students’ lunch money.

The deposits in question happened in December and were made by an employee of Aramark, the district’s food service provider, according to a letter about the matter sent home to parents Friday.

“In late December our system of financial checks and balances identified a bank deposit irregularity regarding a food service fund deposit made by an Aramark employee,” the letter said, explaining an internal investigation followed and revealed “other December deposits were compromised. ...

“The deposits in question,” the letter continued, “are student lunch purchases and do not involve any property tax or state aid funds. The status of checks written to the Burlington Area School District for food service (as well as) cash deposits to individual student accounts (is) being reviewed and we will be letting you know the status of your checks and deposits as soon as possible.”

The cash and checks could have been for a single meal or for a student to have some money put on their food service account; credit card payments were not impacted, Superintendent Peter Smet said.

He would not say more about exactly what happened or how much money was involved, since an investigation is ongoing.

That investigation involves “a complete audit of the food service fund” and is being conducted by the school district, Aramark and the City of Burlington Police Department, the letter said. Aramark and police officials did not respond to Journal Times inquiries.

However, the letter said the Aramark employee involved is no longer assigned to the Burlington Area School District and that the company is being helpful.

“Aramark has assured the Burlington Area School District that the school district and student food service accounts will be made whole for any possible loss due to this matter,” the letter said. “... Aramark has served the Burlington Area School District since 1999 without any previous incidents and is cooperating fully in the matter.”

Club’s president faces embezzlement charge in La Crosse, Wisconsin

The former president of the Retreat Sportsman’s Club faces a felony theft charge after admitting to Vernon County Sheriff’s Department investigators that he embezzled more than $4,000.

Bryce K. Nelson, 50, of De Soto was bound over Dec. 30 for trial in Vernon County Circuit Court on a Class I felony charge of theft in a business setting.

According to a criminal complaint filed Dec. 16, a sheriff’s department investigation was conducted with the cooperation of the trustees of the Retreat Sportsman’s Club starting in late September 2013. Trustees told Sheriff John Spears and Investigator Matthew Sutton they believed Nelson, who had been president of the club since 2003, had been using a club debit card to make personal purchases.

Club trustees said deposits had not been made from profits earned at the club’s trap shooting events. Food and beer are served at these events, which usually led to $1,000 deposits in the club’s accounts. No deposits were made from May to August 2013.

Nelson told Sutton in October that beginning in late 2011 he used the club’s debit card to make personal purchases and that he took money from the club that was raised at its trap shooting events, according to the criminal complaint.

Nelson, in a statement to Sutton, said the number he had come up with “in his head” to make restitution was $7,000.

Sutton used a spreadsheet he had been given by the club, added Nelson’s admissions about taking cash and figured the total amount taken was  $4,336.56.

Nelson made his initial appearance Dec. 30, waived a preliminary hearing in the case and was bound over for trial. Nelson will be able to enter a plea at his arraignment at 10:30 a.m. Jan. 27.

Embezzlement charges after money goes missing from Boy Scout Troop in Wisconsin

A woman has been charged with embezzlement after allegedly stealing money from a local boy scout troop.

In January, the local troop's treasurer had asked for bank statements from Kathleen Potega, who had access to the accounts, because parents were asking about the troop's financial status. The treasurer found the account was overdrawn and numerous charges that she believed to be unauthorized, to places like Walmart and Buffalo Wild Wings.

Potega returned to the bank the day after she was questioned by the treasurer to dispute the charges, but the bank manager said Potega was "all over the place." A detective assigned to the case found still images of Potega making the purchases and she ultimately admitted to the crime.

According to the criminal complaint, Potega made 18 withdrawals from the ATM between July 2011 and Dec. 2012, worth $3,713. She also made 29 unauthorized purchases between July 2011 and Dec. 2012, worth $2,456.

Potega has been charged with Theft - Embezzlement and Fraud Against a Financial Institution. If convicted of both crimes, she could face up to 12 years in prison.

Schlieve on probation after embezzlement from church in Wisconsin

FROM WISCNEWS.COM - 

Judge Andrew Bissonnette paused the defense’s argument to hand out a sentencing “cheat sheet” to more than 30 victims and observers in the court room Wednesday before placing James E. Schlieve on five years of probation.

Schlieve pleaded no contest to one count of theft in a business setting of greater than $10,000. Nine additional counts of theft in a business setting of greater than $10,000, four counts of identity theft to obtain money and an uncharged sheriff’s department case were dismissed, but read in to the record and considered for restitution purposes.

Schlieve was charged with embezzling a total of $229,315.12 from the Zion Lutheran Church in Ashippun and the Ashippun Lions Club.

Schlieve must serve eight months of conditional jail time to commence on Sept. 10 with Huber privileges. An additional four months was imposed and stayed. Schlieve must also perform 150 hours of community service.

Larry Christopherson, the president of the Lion’s Club where Schlieve was treasurer for 10 years, spoke at the hearing.

He said that the Lions were unable to give the scholarships that they normally gave, donations to food pantries were greatly reduced and all of the members donated just to keep the group operating.

“He was trusted completely,” Christopherson said. “Jim violated that trust by stealing our money.”

Schlieve’s brother and brother-in-law also spoke at the hearing.

Jerry Schlieve told the court that his brother was very giving toward his community and asked for leniency.

“Our God is a fair and forgiving God. I would hope that the court and the community might be the same way,” Jerry Schlieve said.

Brother-in-law Larry Rode described Schlieve as the patriarch of the family and a man who volunteered “unselfishly.”

“I just wish he would have come to me earlier. Maybe we could have avoided this,” Rode said.

Prosecuting attorney Bob Barrington noted that Schlieve had paid the full restitution by liquidating his 401k before the hearing date. However, he argued for a year of incarceration and two years of extended supervision.

“This man stole from his church. This man stole from a prominent civic organization,” Barrington said. “He seems, in terms of his character, to have a total disregard for the less fortunate.”

“He chose to protect his own assets until he got caught,” he added.

Barrington quoted some of the victim impact letters, including several from members of one of the organizations.

“There are 135 families depending on the food pantry,” Barrington read. “We thought we were donating to the food pantry. Mr. Schlieve thought his needs came first.”

Defense attorney William Gergen disagreed, noting that Schlieve came into his office and asked not for a defense, but help in doing the right thing.

“From my perspective, his response and repentance is unparalleled in my experience,” Gergen said.

He noted that Schlieve has always been very involved in charity work and community service.

“I see it as a crime of fear and cowardice,” Gergen said. “The embezzler who has the ability to pay restitution doesn’t exist ordinarily. Mr. Schlieve is in an usual situation, that his retirement savings were there.”

He noted that Schlieve had lost his job of 30 years due to the case and was now faced with starting over again at age 62 with basically nothing. He asked for five years of probation with whatever conditions the court imposed.

“It’s a shame that so much good that he has done gets washed away,” Gergen said.

Schlieve spoke briefly, apologizing for his choices and stating that he would accept whatever the court decided.

“This is not enough to express my shame,” Schlieve said. “It will be hard for many people to forget, much less forgive me. I can only hope you can forgive me at some point.”

Bissonnette said that in a way, white collar crimes are often given less punishment than more violent crimes, because white collar criminals often have more good characteristics to offset the bad.

He noted that it was stated in some of the letters that the fabric of the small community had been torn because of the case.

“If there’s some sense that justice was done, then the healing process could start,” Bissonnette said. “Some of the letters said that.”

He noted that the full restitution payment wasn’t as important to him as Gergen made it out to be.

“Money that wasn’t ever yours has now been restored. That’s not really punishment,” Bissonnette said.

He did agree, however, that the previous good deeds were enough to warrant probation and a withheld sentence.

“With the withheld sentence, the judge is taking a wait-and-see attitude,” Bissonnette said. “The court just can’t justify [prison] today with the circumstances.”

Eagle, Wisconsin woman accused of stealing money from Cub Scouts

A 35-year-old woman was charged Thursday in Waukesha County Circuit Court with three counts of misdemeanor theft, allegedly using a Eagle Cub Scout troop’s debit card to purchase $3,565 worth of gas, food and groceries in 2011.

According to the criminal complaint, Village of Eagle Police were first made aware of the accusation in July 2012, when Chairman Michael Flatow of Eagle Cub Scout Pack 54 reported suspicious activity on the troop’s account.

Flatow told police that Rachael M. Schneider, an assistant to the troop, had used the card for personal use between October and December 2011, the complaint reads.

In a little over two months, Flatow claimed Schneider had spent $1,301 at Walmart, $308 at Farm and Fleet and $349 at Pick N’ Save, according to the complaint.

Schneider admitted in a statement to police that she had used the Boy Scouts’ card for personal use and said she had paid the troop back in full, the complaint reads.

Flatow said that the troop has since increased security for how debit cards are handled, but would prefer not to discuss the issue.

Schneider could face up to a year and a half in prison and $30,000 in fines if convicted.

She is expected to make an initial appearance in court on July 22.

Former Shorewood, Wisconsin School Secretary Stole $310 Thousand In Special Ed Funds, Feds Say

FROM http://shorewood.patch.com/

A former Shorewood School District secretary has been charged with embezzling more than $300,000 in federal special education funds to buy TVs, household items and vacations for her family.

Donna Sternke was charged this week in federal court with issuing unauthorized checks totaling $310,263 over 13 years — from January 1998 to June 2011. In June 2011, the district discovered the unexplained purchase of gift cards for Kalahari Resort in Wisconsin Dells, and she was allowed to resign from her position, according to documents filed in federal court.

In October 2012, she admitted to federal investigators to stealing the money. And this week she reached a plea agreement with prosecutors.

If convicted, Sternke could face a maximum sentence of 10 years imprisonment. Under the plea agreement, Sternke will pay $310,263 in restitution to the school district.

According to court documents:

Sternke worked in the district's Instructional Services and Special Education Department, handling purchasing for the department, making use of federal Individual with Disabilities Education Act grants in the sum of $632,362.

Special education teachers would provide Sternke with purchase orders, which she would enter into the district's computer system for review and approval. Through that computer system, Sternke would enter bogus invoices for items she purchased for personal use, according to the documents.

In one case, she used the district's computer system to create a bogus $1,564.49 purchase order for American TV. She falsely wrote in the invoice, the purchase was for a HP laptop, when Sternke actually purchased a 50-inch TV console and 37-inch Sony TV for herself.

After preparing and submitting a bogus invoice, Sternke would pick up a check from the business office — not a normal payment process — and typically mailed the check to the vendor, but would occasionally use the check to make purchases at various stores including Menards, Pennys, Target, Wal-Mart, Best Buy and Kohl's.

The document also says Sternke used the funds to buy vacations, and purchase personal items for her family, often through gift cards.

Additionally, Sternke admitted to agents that she prepared false purchase orders in fall 2010 for products totaling $8,000. When the district issued checks, she used them to make payments on her personal credit cards.

Shorewood School District Business Manager Mark Boehlke was not available for comment Friday, however, he did tell the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that Sternke was hired by the district in 1979 and is not currently receiving any retirement benefits from the district.

Boehlke couldn't explain how no red flags were raised over the 13 years Sternke was allegedly embezzling funds.