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PTO missing money
PTO missing money
BROWN DEER -- Police said the former treasurer of Brown Deer Elementary School's Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) pocketed $59,236 from the organization over six years, and tried to pay it back, but still got caught.
A charge of theft from business setting -- greater than $10,000 to $100,000 was filed against Jennifer Vang, 39, of Brown Deer, on Oct. 25.
She did not answer the door when FOX6 News stopped by her Brown Deer home on Wednesday, Nov. 6.
Brown Deer Elementary School PTO raffle in 2015
According to police, in February, another member of the PTO started to realize something was wrong when bills were being paid late. Vang was "solely responsible for all the funds in the PTO's bank account." Money was generated through fundraisers like a raffle FOX6 News covered in 2015. The winner's child got a ride on a fire truck.
The district's finance director looked into the account in March and found the balance to be $1,139. Police said Vang presented a fake spreadsheet stating the balance was really $42,040. Police said a review of bank records from January 2013 through March 2019, spanning Vang's tenure as treasurer, revealed she wrote 71 checks to herself from the PTO account.
BMO Harris Bank
Investigators said Vang cashed many of the checks at BMO Harris Bank locations near the school.
In July, police said Vang met with PTO members at Zi's Sports Pub and Eatery and gave the group a check for $36,616 "to close out the account."
Three days earlier, police said $32,600 was wired from Vang's husband's account into the PTO's.
Detectives pointed out, repayment of funds in an embezzling case is still illegal.
An initial court appearance for Vang was scheduled for Nov. 14.
School district officials issued this statement:
PTO officials told FOX6 News by email the current group had nothing to do with Vang, despite the PTO's current president being the person police said first noticed the missing funds.