According to a civil lawsuit filed late yesterday by the Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Bluegrass, the Kentucky branch of the charity agency has been the victim of an embezzlement conspiracy involving six employees, including its office manager, Bendrea D. Wilson, 31, of Lexington. The amount allegedly stolen exceeds $435,000, according to the lawsuit, which seeks to recover the lost funds, which amounts to over half its operating budget. The new CEO, Dale Suttles, has made a public plea for continued public support. An internal investigation revealed at least 142 forged checks had been written on the agency's accounts totalling $435,837. The scheme reportedly spanned nearly a year from late 2008 until last week. The agency claims that the remaining five individuals who allegedly cashed some of the forged checks included Lexington residents, Demetrius Davis, Danny Fondren, Charles Mealing, Emmanuel Marshall and Danville resident, Marcus Searcy.
Read the story here, here and here.
Update (5/24/11): Wilson has pleaded guilty to embezzling more than $435,000 from Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Bluegrass. She has already agreed to restitution in the amount of $435,837.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
This is not "the" agency in Kentucky. There are several Big Brothers Big Sisters agencies in Kentucky that were not affected by this fraud.
Post a Comment