Sunday, February 7, 2010

Omaha Day care theft ends with jail

Amy E. Colling has lost her job as a kindergarten teacher, she has had to explain her embezzlement to her three children and on Friday, she became an inmate at the Douglas County Jail.

She must serve four months of a six month jail sentence for theft by unlawful taking of more than $1,500. The other two months could be waived if Colling successfully completes five years of probation and meets her restitution obligation.
Still, Douglas County District Judge Thomas Otepka expressed doubt that Colling, 43, has fully owned up to her theft from the Kids for Jesus preschool and day care.
If Colling, the former executive director of Kids for Jesus, hasn't been up front with family and friends about the extent of her crime, Otepka said his sentencing should provide a clearer picture. He recounted the discrepancy between what Colling claims to have stolen — no more than $25,000 — and what 10 people combing financial records for two weeks concluded — $91,000, at a minimum.
The crime was carried out during a three-year period, beginning in 2003. Otepka didn't discuss Colling's motivation, but he did outline a few of the items bought with the stolen money, including furniture, shrimp, an Xbox video game system, a computer.
If people understand the magnitude of the crime and still offer their support, "that's great," Otepka said. "But how your family didn't have a clue, I don't know."
Colling is the wife of Omaha police Officer Chris Colling. Two of the couple's children are in college, a third is a senior in high school.
Colling apologized to her family, friends and the church in court, saying she regretted her "lack of judgment" and the stress and embarrassment she has caused.
"I did not mean to hurt anyone. I tried to right my wrong from the beginning."
Otepka said he regretted that the church wouldn't be fully reimbursed for its loss. Colling has taken out a second mortgage on the family's home — valued at $185,000 — to pay $12,000 in restitution. For the next five years, she also must pay the church $350 every month, or an additional $21,000.

Saturday, February 6, 2010

School Employee Charged with Theft of Funds from Langston Hughes Academy Charter School in New Orleans

KELLY A. THOMPSON, age 39, a resident of New Orleans, Louisiana, was charged in a Bill of Information for Theft of Federal Funds from Langston Hughes Academy Charter School announced United States Attorney Jim Letten.

According to the Bill, THOMPSON was employed at Langston Hughes Academy Charter School as the Business and Human Resources Manager/Financial Manager beginning approximately July 1, 2008 until approximately November 6, 2009. It is alleged the defendant made cash withdrawals while acting in her capacity as Business and Human Resources Manager/Financial Manager, and then manipulated the school’s record in order to conceal the thefts. The alleged amount of loss to Langston Hughes Academy Charter School is approximately $660,000.
United States Attorney Letten reiterated that the bill of information is merely a charge and that the guilt of the defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
In convicted, THOMPSON faces a maximum term of imprisonment of ten (10) years, a fine of $250,000, and up to three (3) years of supervised release following any term of imprisonment.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The prosecution is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney Brian M. Klebba, Salvador Perricone and James R. Mann.

Friday, February 5, 2010

LAPD is conducting a criminal investigation of Second Baptist Church

Another one of our big, historic, prestigious, and influential Black churches is in trouble with the law. Second Baptist Church. It pains me to have to report this, but what has happened and is happening at the 125-year-old Second Baptist Church — the first African-American Baptist Church in Southern California — is news, albeit, bad news, and I am compelled to tell it because “telling it” — warts and all — is my raison d’etre.

Here it is: The LAPD is conducting a criminal investigation of Second Baptist Church into the probable embezzlement of at least $750,000 from its credit union and the church is party to a lawsuit filed in federal court pursuant to the demise of its credit union and the disappearance of the credit union’s money.
Detective Don Watkins of the Newton Division’s Burglary Unit (which handles all property crimes) said the SBC Credit Union became defunct and inactive last year and “my job is to find out what happened to the money,” he said. “This is a criminal investigation and I am following the money, as I must determine who took it. So far, it looks like about $750,000 is missing, but that figure could go higher.”
I asked the detective who he thinks took the money. “I’m not at a point yet in which I am ready to point fingers and name names, but I will get there,” Watkins said. The detective also said a lawsuit with respect to the missing money was filed in civil court, but at a hearing in October the lawsuit was sent out of civil court and re-filed in federal court, where a hearing has been scheduled for later this month.
My intelligence report notes the names of several people allegedly involved in this problem, but, like Watkins, I will decline to mention them until I see those, or other names, written in court documents. At that point, the venerable Second Baptist will come out of Soulvine and join St. Paul Baptist, Double Rock Baptist, First AME, Ward AME and Brookins AME on the front page.

Thursday, February 4, 2010

Compton, California pastor to be sentenced in grand theft

The former pastor of a Compton church pleaded no contest Tuesday to one count of grand theft after he was accused of diverting more than $800,000 in offerings from his congregation, authorities said.

Eugene Joshua Sims, 48, who was pastor of Double Rock Baptist Church, will be sentenced to a year in county jail and five months of probation, the Los Angeles County district attorney's office said.
Prosecutors are asking that Sims repay the more than $800,000 that he embezzled from church members while serving as their pastor, according to the district attorney's office.
Sims allegedly deposited the money in a private bank account and then threatened members not to say anything during sermons after questions were raised, the district attorney's office said.
Sims entered his plea in Compton Superior Court as his preliminary hearing was set to begin. In exchange for his plea, one felony count each of dissuading a witness and money laundering will be dropped when he is sentenced March 19, the district attorney's office said.
Sims was ordered to stay away from Double Rock church while he is on probation, but he can preach and perform services at other churches, according to the district attorney's office.

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Bay St. Louis, Mississippi Embezzlement suspect arrested

A former Bay-Waveland School District employee accused of embezzling more than $22,000 from the district has been arrested.
Linda Gavagnie, 55, of Bay St. Louis was served with an indictment Monday by the state auditor's office.
The indictment alleges Gavagnie embezzled the money by making false entries into the school's financial records and transferring funds to hide the money she had taken.
Gavagnie was the finance manager for the Bay-Waveland School District from January 1994 to Sept. 21, 2007, State Auditor Stacey Pickering said in a news release.

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

$10,000 stolen from Mulino, Oregon Parent Group bank account

About $10,000 was discovered missing from the Mulino Parent Group’s bank account this month and one of their members appears to be the thief. Officers of the parent group, a nonprofit organization supporting student activities at Mulino Elementary School, reported the missing funds to MES Principal Alan Willey on Jan. 9, he said.
The person stealing the funds left an obvious paper trail, Willey said, writing checks for large sums of money to herself.
Most of the funds were withdrawn in recent months, but it appears money began disappearing back in April of 2009, Willey said. On Monday, the woman arranged for the money to be returned and the parent group received a cashier’s check for the amount stolen, Willey said.
“When I met with her, she had said that she just put herself in a bad place,” Willey said. “She was very remorseful, very embarrassed and regrets it.”
Willey and officers of the parent group reported the theft to Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office on Jan. 10.
CSO spokesman Jim Strovink said investigators have not yet spoken with the suspect and charges have not been filed, but it is awaiting investigation. The suspect will not be publicly identified until charges have been filed.
“At first it was disbelief because I’ve known this person for over five years and have become personal friends,” MPG President Deborah Pruitt said. “It is a nonprofit, so unfortunately it is a legal responsibility to report it.”
Pruitt said that according to the group’s bylaws, the president and vice president are the only members who should have access to the MPG bank account. However, they recently held elections and the correct signers for the account had not yet been established.
“Really, there was only one person who had access to the account,” Pruitt said.
The parents raise money throughout the year by selling cookie dough, wrapping paper and other items and by holding an annual school carnival, Pruitt said. All the money they raise – about $15,000 a year – goes toward field trips, equipment, assemblies, student incentives, swimming lessons and other things to benefit students at Mulino Elementary School.
“The money that’s fundraised goes toward all the extra things that the general fund can’t pay for,” Willey said. “I think we have one of the better parent groups. They put in hundreds and hundreds of hours.”
Pruitt said other parents help with events, but only seven to 10 are active members of the group. Now, she worries that people will be hesitant to contribute to the group’s fundraising efforts out of concern that the money will be mishandled.
“In the long run, the only ones who are going to suffer from that is the children,” Pruitt said. “It’s a black eye and it’s going to take awhile to earn peoples’ trust back … We’re going to make sure that our procedures are updated so that this can’t happen again.”

Monday, February 1, 2010

Pastor, wife accused of embezzling from church in Lawrence, New Hampshire

The pastor of a Presbyterian church in the city, his wife, and the church's secretary are charged with embezzling almost $137,000 from the congregation's bank account over the course of five years.

The Rev. Isaias Rivera, pastor of Tabernaculo de Adoracion y Musica (Tabernacle of Praise and Music) and his wife, Vivian, were arrested by Lawrence police yesterday. Church secretary Kizzella Rivera turned herself in to police.
The Presbytery of Northern New England, which owns and runs the church at 96 E. Haverhill St., did not give permission nor had any knowledge that the three had been cashing checks from 2004 to 2009, according to police.
According to the police report, Isaias Rivera allegedly took $102,732.28, his wife cashed three checks in 2005 totaling $24,500, and secretary Kizzella Rivera, (no relation) wrote checks for herself and cashed them for the total sum of $9,500.
According to the police report, The Rev. Eric Markman, moderator for the Presbytery, contacted Sovereign Bank after talking to Isaias Rivera.
Bank officials told Markman "there were a lot of checks written to Isaias Rivera on the Presbytery's account from 2004 until 2009," according to the police report.
The Presbytery hired Hession and Pare, a public accounting firm in Manchester, N.H., to look at the account.
After researching the church's bank transactions, John Hession found "Isaias was either writing checks to himself or would have his secretary (Kizzella Rivera) write the checks out to him. He would then later cash the checks and take the money," the police report said.
Markman and Darnell Burks, chairman of the Lawrence Church Committee for the Presbytery, were recently alerted to a potential problem by Ricky Rivera, Kizzella Rivera's husband.
"He got fresh with my wife a couple of times and now he is trying to bring her into this," said Ricky Rivera, who ran youth programs at the church.
Markman and Burks confronted Isaias Rivera about the allegations, and during their visit found the membership had dwindled to 17 people and programs that were offered were no longer in operation, Markman said in an interview with The Eagle-Tribune yesterday.
"Before this, we thought the church was going well," he said.
During the investigation, Markman and Burks could not find the church's bank records, according to a report filed by police Detective Jeffrey R. Sapienza.
When Markman and Burks tried to look on the church's computer, "everything had been deleted," the report said.
When Markman asked Isaias Rivera about it, he told Markman that "the files must have been stolen," Sapienza wrote in his report.
On Feb. 4, 2008, Isaias Rivera reported that someone broke into the church at 96 E. Haverhill St. and stole one Dell computer, two speakers and one DVD player.
"The items were either returned or never stolen," Markman told The Eagle-Tribune.
"It would be unimaginable not to be disappointed," Markman said. "Anytime money is not going to the ministry that should be is stressful."
Markman said the money came from the presbytery as well as the collection during services.
"I feel betrayed because I thought I was putting money in the collection for God's purpose," Ricky Rivera said.
"It's too bad that we have individuals like him that we hold to high standards and they let you down," Ricky Rivera said of Isaias Rivera.
Ricky Rivera said the situation got so bad at the church that members had to bundle up during services because there was no heat.
Markman and Burks alerted Lawrence police who arrested Isaias and Vivian Rivera both of 86 Hazel St. and Kizzella Rivera of 102 Union St. All three were released on bail and will be arraigned in Lawrence District Court today.
Tabernaculo de Adoracion y Musica was founded in August 2003 at the site of the former United Presbyterian Church.
The case at Tabernaculo de Adoracion y Musica is one example of the rise in embezzlement cases.
Locally, Marie Morey, a courthouse accounting clerk, has been charged with embezzling more than $2 million from the Lawrence Probation Department over three and a half years.
Church employee Dawn Appel faces charges of taking $38,482 from North Parish Church in North Andover and Joseph Lydick, North Andover's purchasing agent, has been charged with embezzling $20,800 of the town's money.
Alfred Perry former chairman of the North Andover School Committee stole $22,361 from clients of his insurance agency. He was sentenced to two years of probation and ordered to repay the victims.
Theresa Roccapriore was charged with stealing $136,000 from Lawrence General Hospital.
Michelle Cote of Londonderry, N.H., is scheduled to be sentenced for stealing $200,000 from Lambs Construction Corp. bank accounts.
Cheryl Crawford of Derry, N.H., was sentenced to one year in prison, ordered to repay the victims and complete 100 hours of community service after taking more than $350,000 from the Derry Economic Development Corp.
Cases remain open on Morey of Lawrence, Roccapriore of Groveland, Appel of North Andover, and Lydick of Derry, N.H.
Police Chief John Romero said embezzling can become addictive to some. "They start with one and once they get away with it, they continue doing it until it mushrooms," Romero said.
"It's easier to detect because it's no longer a pen and pencil document," Romero said. "There is also more emphasis on checks and balances."
Checks cashed by The Rev. Isaias Rivera
Jan. 26, 2004, $3,447
Aug. 15, 2004, $2,700
Nov. 8, 2005, $3,272.28
April 6, 2006, $5,500
Feb. 10, 2006, $2,000
July 2, 2007, $800
March 3, 2006, $4,000
Nov. 13, 2006, $1,500
Dec. 18, 2006, $4,500
March 30, 2006, $8,500
May 8, 2006, $8,000
Aug. 7, 2006, $800
Jan. 30, 2007, $8,500
Feb. 8, 2007, $8,500
Jan. 11, 2007, $8,500
Jan. 30 2007, $8,500
March 7, 2007, $8,500
April 2, 2007, $3,600
April 12, 2007, $4,500
Dec. 17, 2007, $ 1,833
Dec. 28, 2007, $900
May 22, 2009, $1,980
May 22, 2009, $2,400
Checks cashed by KiZzella Rivera
Jan. 17, 2006, $3,500
April 5, 2006, $1,200
May 5, 2006, $1,200
May 31, 2006,$1,200
June 25, 2006, $1,200
July 30, 2006, $1,200
Checks cashed by VIVIAN Rivera
Nov. 22, 2005, $6,000
Dec. 6, 2005, 9,500
Dec. 15, 2005, $9,000