FROM WSAU.COM -
Wausau police are recommending embezzlement charges be filed against the former the Residence Hall Operations Manager at UW Marathon County.
He's suspected of stealing more than $25,000 from students between June, 2012 and January, 2013.
Investigators say he encouraged them to pay him housing, food, parking and other fees in cash.
But instead of giving the money to the school, he kept it himself.
Police say a check of his financial records show he paid off thousands of dollars worth of overdue bills during that time.
The school discovered the problem in February, fired the man and called the police.
UWMC told investigators they would not require the students to re-pay the money that appears stolen. The school would just take the financial loss.
The dorm houses both UWMC and North Central Technical College students
Saturday, June 1, 2013
Janesville, Wisconsin church secretary embezzled $88,000, police say
The former secretary of a Janesville church wrote nearly $90,000 in forged checks to herself over 10 months last year, according to police reports.
Carrie A. Kolanda, 30, of 9020 S. Nelson Road, Brodhead, was arrested May 14 on felony charges of forgery and theft of more than $10,000, according to Janesville police.
An accountant uncovered 70 checks Kolanda forged for herself from First Congregational United Church of Christ between January and October of 2012, according to police reports.
The checks were written from two church accounts, authorities said, adding up to $88,329.68.
The accountant, David Bagley, requested copies of checks cleared from those accounts last fall after he realized their balances were lower than he expected, police said.
Kolanda was fired in October and admitted to church officials she stole the money, authorities said.
Detective Chris Buescher found the checks were deposited into Anchor Bank accounts—one in Kolanda’s name and another in the names of Kolanda and her 29-year-old boyfriend Darrold F. Selby III, according to reports.
Her father has since repaid the church for what Kolanda stole, but church leaders decided to go to the police with their investigation in March, according to police reports.
Kolanda told police she started forging the checks when she ran out of money because of Selby’s drug addiction, authorities said.
“Carrie denied having any money stored away or saved as a result of this theft,” Janesville police Detective Chris Buescher wrote.
“She said all of the money … was gone from paying bills or his drug use.”
Police booked Kolanda May 14, before releasing her with a mandatory appearance in Rock County court June 17, according to police reports.
Carrie A. Kolanda, 30, of 9020 S. Nelson Road, Brodhead, was arrested May 14 on felony charges of forgery and theft of more than $10,000, according to Janesville police.
An accountant uncovered 70 checks Kolanda forged for herself from First Congregational United Church of Christ between January and October of 2012, according to police reports.
The checks were written from two church accounts, authorities said, adding up to $88,329.68.
The accountant, David Bagley, requested copies of checks cleared from those accounts last fall after he realized their balances were lower than he expected, police said.
Kolanda was fired in October and admitted to church officials she stole the money, authorities said.
Detective Chris Buescher found the checks were deposited into Anchor Bank accounts—one in Kolanda’s name and another in the names of Kolanda and her 29-year-old boyfriend Darrold F. Selby III, according to reports.
Her father has since repaid the church for what Kolanda stole, but church leaders decided to go to the police with their investigation in March, according to police reports.
Kolanda told police she started forging the checks when she ran out of money because of Selby’s drug addiction, authorities said.
“Carrie denied having any money stored away or saved as a result of this theft,” Janesville police Detective Chris Buescher wrote.
“She said all of the money … was gone from paying bills or his drug use.”
Police booked Kolanda May 14, before releasing her with a mandatory appearance in Rock County court June 17, according to police reports.
Woman indicted in Anchorage school embezzlement case
A 45-year-old woman has been indicted in the theft of more than $80,000 from East High School in Anchorage when she worked there.
Gayle White was indicted on two counts of scheming to defraud, theft and misapplication of property.
Prosecutors say the thefts occurred between August 2006 and June 2009 when White worked as the activities secretary before she left to work at Chugiak High School.
Prosecutors say an internal audit by the Anchorage School District showed accounting discrepancies for cash handled by White.
White's attorney, Pamela Dale, did not immediately return a call seeking comment.
White, who was indicted May 24, pleaded guilty in 2011 to a theft case involving Chugiak High. White was accused of stealing money between November 2009 and March 2011 when she worked there.
Gayle White was indicted on two counts of scheming to defraud, theft and misapplication of property.
Prosecutors say the thefts occurred between August 2006 and June 2009 when White worked as the activities secretary before she left to work at Chugiak High School.
Prosecutors say an internal audit by the Anchorage School District showed accounting discrepancies for cash handled by White.
White's attorney, Pamela Dale, did not immediately return a call seeking comment.
White, who was indicted May 24, pleaded guilty in 2011 to a theft case involving Chugiak High. White was accused of stealing money between November 2009 and March 2011 when she worked there.
Blissfield Boosters treasurer charged with embezzlement in Michigan
A Blissfield Athletic Boosters officer was arraigned Friday on a felony embezzlement charge in Lenawee County District Court for allegedly taking more than $33,000 since December 2009.
An attorney for Tara Lynn Rohlan said she is taking responsibility for the club’s missing funds and has pledged to quickly repay the money.
“She stepped forward when the incident came into view,” said attorney David Stimpson of Tecumseh. “She’s absolutely in disbelief over the poor decisions she made.”
Stimpson said the 44-year-old Blissfield woman’s family was shocked to learn she had taken money from the booster’s account while
serving as treasurer.
“No one had any idea it was happening,” he said.
Boosters president Paul LaRoy said he is hopeful the damage will be repaired from the incident he called a tragedy for everyone involved.
“It’s just a sad thing,” LaRoy said.
Students who benefit from money the booster club raises are the victims in the case, he said.
“I feel sorry for the kids. It’s a sad thing that kids do suffer over the whole thing,” LaRoy said.
He said he expects the money will be recovered. Accounting practices have also been changed to ensure the mistakes will not be repeated in the future, he said. The safeguards were not thought to be necessary among the group’s members, he said.
“You put your trust in good people and sometimes it goes wrong,” LaRoy said.
Blissfield Police Chief Jane Kelley said the boosters club filed a complaint on March 27 after discrepancies were discovered in bank statements. A forensic analysis of the accounts found that money was taken starting on Dec. 12, 2009.
Some large amounts were sometimes taken, Kelley said, then $18,000 was paid back in September 2010. Then more money was taken again after that, she said.
A audit found a total of $33,187.36 was taken, Kelley said. The amount still owed is about $15,000.
Stimpson said Rohlan intends to repay it all.
“She’s doing everything she can to make everyone whole,” he said.
She is “tearfully remorseful” and humiliated over her actions, Stimpson said.
Rohlan was scheduled to return to district court for a preliminary hearing on June 10. She remains free on personal recognizance.
The felony embezzlement count she is charged with carries a maximum 10-year prison term.
Blissfield Police say Tara Lynn Rohlan was a member of the athletic boosters board.
They say the president of the board noticed some financial discrepancies in March and had an audit done. They then discovered more than $53,000 had been embezzled since February of 2009.
The audit showed an $18,000 payback made by Rohlan in September, but police say she still owes more than $30,000.
The athletic boosters group did not want to comment, but police say security has been tightened and new safeguards are in place with the group to prevent this happening again.
Former Healdsburg soccer official charged with $51,000 embezzlement in California
A former Healdsburg Youth Soccer League president was charged Friday with three felonies in connection with the embezzlement of $51,000 from the organization.
Mitzi Giron, 30, is accused of stealing the money over an 18-month span ending in January and using it for personal expenses.
She is the second league president in less than three years to be accused of embezzling from the league. Her predecessor, Kyle Hoffman, 38, was sentenced to nine months in 2011 after being convicted of taking $58,000.
Giron, who was arrested last month but is out on $10,000 bail, is suspected of using the league debit card to withdraw money from its bank account from July 1, 2011, to Jan. 31. Authorities initially estimated the theft at $30,000.
She’s charged with grand theft-embezzlement, unlawful use of an ATM card and possession of a stolen property. She faces three years and eight months in jail if convicted, prosecutor Bill Brockley said.
Giron is expected to enter a plea at her next court date on June 17.
Mitzi Giron, 30, is accused of stealing the money over an 18-month span ending in January and using it for personal expenses.
She is the second league president in less than three years to be accused of embezzling from the league. Her predecessor, Kyle Hoffman, 38, was sentenced to nine months in 2011 after being convicted of taking $58,000.
Giron, who was arrested last month but is out on $10,000 bail, is suspected of using the league debit card to withdraw money from its bank account from July 1, 2011, to Jan. 31. Authorities initially estimated the theft at $30,000.
She’s charged with grand theft-embezzlement, unlawful use of an ATM card and possession of a stolen property. She faces three years and eight months in jail if convicted, prosecutor Bill Brockley said.
Giron is expected to enter a plea at her next court date on June 17.
Conn. woman admits embezzling from synagogue
The former president of the Beth El Synagogue pleaded guilty on Friday to mail fraud in the embezzlement of more than $500,000 in synagogue funds, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney.
During her time as vice president and then president of the synagogue, Jodi Churchill, 45, allegedly used embezzled funds to pay school-related expenses for her children, lease a horse for one of her children, pay vehicle expenses and buy airline tickets and hotels for personal travel. She also gave some of the stolen money to a relative, the U.S. Attorney said.
Churchill, a resident of Orange, opened a checking account and a money market account in the name of the synagogue and then had the bank statements sent to her home, the U.S. Attorney said.
Between June and December 2011, Churchill deposited more than $300,000 in synagogue funds into those accounts. Investigators found that she made more than 60 unauthorized withdrawals of the funds ranging in amount from $200 to $5,000, the U.S. Attorney said.
Churchill pleaded guilty to one count of mail fraud before U.S. Magistrate Judge Donna F. Martinez, the U.S. Attorney said. She is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 5.
Churchill faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
During her time as vice president and then president of the synagogue, Jodi Churchill, 45, allegedly used embezzled funds to pay school-related expenses for her children, lease a horse for one of her children, pay vehicle expenses and buy airline tickets and hotels for personal travel. She also gave some of the stolen money to a relative, the U.S. Attorney said.
Churchill, a resident of Orange, opened a checking account and a money market account in the name of the synagogue and then had the bank statements sent to her home, the U.S. Attorney said.
Between June and December 2011, Churchill deposited more than $300,000 in synagogue funds into those accounts. Investigators found that she made more than 60 unauthorized withdrawals of the funds ranging in amount from $200 to $5,000, the U.S. Attorney said.
Churchill pleaded guilty to one count of mail fraud before U.S. Magistrate Judge Donna F. Martinez, the U.S. Attorney said. She is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 5.
Churchill faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
South San Antonio Independent School District embezzlement results in prison in Texas
A former South San Antonio Independent School District secretary accused of embezzling football game revenues was sentenced to eight years in prison Thursday, despite a last-minute attempt to spread blame to the district's controversial ex-athletic director.
Several school board trustees and Superintendent Rebecca Robinson lingered inside the courtroom after the hearing to watch as deputies led Silvia Gallegos Neira, 58, away in handcuffs.
“It's been a long two years,” board President Rose Marie Martinez said, referring to a 2011 audit of athletic funds that eventually resulted in the criminal charge. “The precedent has been set here. If anybody's thinking of doing this in any other district, they better think twice because justice has been served here.”
Neira was indicted last year on charges of stealing $22,420 from the district over a three-year period, taking advantage of her position as the person who collected and deposited athletic event revenues.
She pleaded no contest to theft in April in exchange for an eight-year term. Because she arrived at court Thursday with a check for $11,000 to repay the district, prosecutors agreed to not call witnesses or argue against her as she asked state District Judge Maria Teresa Herr to let her serve the sentence on probation.
Although Herr denied the request, she did retain jurisdiction of the case — a strong indicator that the judge might consider altering the sentence to shock probation after Neira spends about six months in prison.
Neira admitted to the judge that she stole and said she intends to pay back the entire $22,420. But she wasn't the only person to have participated in the scheme, she said. She would drop off cash for then-athletic director Gary Durbon, the son of then-Superintendent Ron Durbon, she alleged.
“I tried very hard to get away from that office four different times, but I couldn't because I was told by his father ... I was never to leave there,” Neira said. “In that school district, you can't turn to no one without being threatened ... and retaliated against.”
District officials in attendance declined to comment on the claims.
Durbon has not been charged. He repeatedly has denied wrongdoing.
“In Texas, we need to corroborate what would essentially be accomplice witness testimony,” said Adriana Biggs, chief of the district attorney's white-collar-crimes division. “Absent that, we don't have a case. If there's information presented to us that ties Mr. Durbon to the theft, then certainly we would re-open the investigation.”
Several school board trustees and Superintendent Rebecca Robinson lingered inside the courtroom after the hearing to watch as deputies led Silvia Gallegos Neira, 58, away in handcuffs.
“It's been a long two years,” board President Rose Marie Martinez said, referring to a 2011 audit of athletic funds that eventually resulted in the criminal charge. “The precedent has been set here. If anybody's thinking of doing this in any other district, they better think twice because justice has been served here.”
Neira was indicted last year on charges of stealing $22,420 from the district over a three-year period, taking advantage of her position as the person who collected and deposited athletic event revenues.
She pleaded no contest to theft in April in exchange for an eight-year term. Because she arrived at court Thursday with a check for $11,000 to repay the district, prosecutors agreed to not call witnesses or argue against her as she asked state District Judge Maria Teresa Herr to let her serve the sentence on probation.
Although Herr denied the request, she did retain jurisdiction of the case — a strong indicator that the judge might consider altering the sentence to shock probation after Neira spends about six months in prison.
Neira admitted to the judge that she stole and said she intends to pay back the entire $22,420. But she wasn't the only person to have participated in the scheme, she said. She would drop off cash for then-athletic director Gary Durbon, the son of then-Superintendent Ron Durbon, she alleged.
“I tried very hard to get away from that office four different times, but I couldn't because I was told by his father ... I was never to leave there,” Neira said. “In that school district, you can't turn to no one without being threatened ... and retaliated against.”
District officials in attendance declined to comment on the claims.
Durbon has not been charged. He repeatedly has denied wrongdoing.
“In Texas, we need to corroborate what would essentially be accomplice witness testimony,” said Adriana Biggs, chief of the district attorney's white-collar-crimes division. “Absent that, we don't have a case. If there's information presented to us that ties Mr. Durbon to the theft, then certainly we would re-open the investigation.”
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