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A treasurer of a non-profit in Isanti County, Minnesota is accused of using her position to steal nearly $100,000.
The 61-year-old woman was a board member of the Isanti County Sheriff’s Foundation and now faces theft charges, including theft by swindle.
Court documents say other board members of the Sheriff’s Foundation were not aware she opened bank accounts and deposited grant money. That grant money totaled $100,000 and was meant to fund Project 612, a program supporting at risk youth in the Twin Cities.
“Honestly, I didn’t believe it at first I was like there’s no way that she would do this because I trusted her so much,” said Marshaan Johnson, the founder of Project 612.
Johnson says Project 612 was not a non-profit and needed a 501c3 organization to steward a grant meant to support programing for kids for a full year.
“I reached out to a friend and was like ‘hey this is what’s going on,’ I was like ‘I have this grant, but I need someone to steward the money for me because I don’t have a 501c3’ she was like ‘my mother does I could talk to her,’” Johnson explained.
His friend’s mother was the treasurer of the Isanti County Sheriff’s Foundation. Johnson says for a few months this year, he received the money he expected and programming for the kids was underway.
“Then things got a little wonky a check bounced for me, a check bounced for my partner and then questions started floating,” Johnson said.
Court documents show a Chisago County investigator found checks from the Sheriff’s Foundation account were written out personally ‘in the amounts of $45,000, $30,000 and $20,000 to the treasurer of the Isanti County Sheriff’s Foundation.
“I’m disappointed. I’m hurt,” said Isanti County Sheriff Wayne Sieberlich. “I have no part in the foundation at all it’s a separate entity and that’s by design, it’s a conflict .”
Sierberlich says the investigation was referred to the Chisago County Sheriff’s office to ensure there would be no conflict of interest.
Sierberlich says his wife is a board member of the Isanti County Sheriff’s Foundation and they have family ties to the woman now accused of stealing the money.
“Because a friend took advantage of a lot of people there are some people that think there’s a conspiracy or that we were involved in this some how and I just don’t know how to explain to people so that they understand there is no connection,” he said.
Other board members say the were not aware the woman opened bank accounts and deposited the money meant for Project612. The woman charged in this cause is also facing fraud charges in Pine County.
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Ashley Grams
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