An entirely new meaning to "a scout is thrifty"

[eisely]

I guess the council is lucky that she didn't have access to all the larger cookie jars.

__________________________

 

Bookkeeper for Boy Scouts pleads guilty to stealing almost $207,000

By MATT GRYTA

News Staff Reporter

4/20/2004

 

Kathleen Maeder, bookkeeper for the Greater Niagara Frontier Council of the Boy Scouts of America for the last two decades, pleaded guilty Monday to stealing almost $207,000 from the group over the last five years.

Under a pre-indictment plea before Erie County Judge Sheila A. DiTullio, Maeder pleaded guilty to second-degree grand larceny for the theft of money from the sale of items at the Scout Store on Maryvale Drive in Cheektowaga.

 

Maeder, 45, of Livingston Street in Lancaster, faces a prison term of up to three years when she is sentenced June 30. She was allowed to remain free without bail pending sentencing.

 

Maeder admitted stealing $206,939 from the Scouts but has not said what she did with the money.

 

District Attorney Frank J. Clark and financial crimes prosecutor Candace K. Vogel said Boy Scout officials were long suspicious about apparent discrepancies in books kept by Maeder, a Scout employee for 22 years.

 

Clark and Vogel said the Scout council is seeking full restitution.

 

Gary Butler, executive director of the Niagara Frontier Council, which administers Scouting in Erie County and western Niagara County, said Maeder was confronted in December and was forced to resign in January.

 

Scout officials then contacted Cheektowaga police and the district attorney's office.

 

"We will be working with the district attorney's office to do an asset reconstruction . . . to try to find out what she did with the funds," Butler said.

 

Because of discrepancies in the books Maeder was keeping, the council's board had a forensic accountant audit all the financial records dating from May 1999. The audit established that only money from the store was missing, not other contributions from donors, court officials said.

 

[Shell in WA- USA]

Amazing. That's as bad as my Ex who did the same thing for the Cathelic Supply Company he worked for! Where are people's scrupples these days????????

[Fat Old Guy]

Many years ago, a member of the board at my church was sent off in shame after he was caught stealing money from the collection. His parents, long pillars of the parish were embarassed and left as well.

 

I just remembered that this fellow was a Boy Scout all the way through high school. Don't know if he is an Eagle.

 

 

[Eamonn]

I hope that we would notice that $40k was missing in year one.

I hope that the Council is able to recover the money.

Eamonn

[Fat Old Guy]

Usually when people swipe things from an employer, they take things like pens, notebooks, and the odd stapler. Taking enough to buy a house is chutzpah. Makes you wonder how much the Scout shop was raking in to not notice $40,000 missing the first year (assuming that $40,000 was stolen each year).

 

 

[VentureScoutNY]

 

FOG makes a good point, $40,000 isn't a days milk money. Must have been serious book-keeping errors.

 

A scout is Thrifty- A scout works to pay his way and to help others. He saves for the future. He protects and conserves natural resources. He carefully uses time and property.

 

If she helped others with the money she stole, is she a good Scouter?!

 

I wonder what she was saving the money for, or did she save it?

 

Did she throw any money towards Niagra Falls from her heavy purse, that would help in environment...

 

But she wasn't too careful was she? She WAS caught...

 

Lesson learned: The bad guy(girl) always loses! ;-)

[Marty_Doyle]

According to the Council website, there are 22 thousand Scouts in the various programs in Greater Niagara Frontier, and only one Scout Shop.

So the volume could be there to "glom" $40 K per annum.

 

The problem is that it would have to be $40K in cash (unless Mrs. M was dealing with other criminals, who would cash checks made out to the Council for her). That's around $160 in cash per day, every day the Shop was open (assuming 250 business days a year). Tough not to notice, espcially when she was on vacation.

 

Obviously, she was the person reviewing the register tapes, counting the recipts and making the bank deposits, as well as keeping the books. Supervision, timely reporting and separation of duties is usually the cure.

 

Hope they are able to recoup it.

[Shell in WA- USA]

Actually, in the accounting world, it's called internal control If they didn't have their checks and balances in order, it could be easy to "hide" money coming into the shop. I mentioned that my ex did this to his employer, he opened all the mail, did the data entry AND recorded the incoming monies to the accounts. I'm not sure entirely how he did it, but he was always conveniently behind by three or fur months in his record keeping and it took the employer 10 months to discover his shortcomings. But only after they had hired an "extra" person to work in the office and she is the one who discovered it.

 

Soemthing did come good of this though, he made for great college papers when I went back for an accoutning degree!