According to filed court documents, between 2017 and June 2020, Anthony Sharper and Deana Sharper executed a scheme to defraud and embezzle at least $239,000 from South Meck high school Athletic Booster Club by writing checks to themselves for purported reimbursement, wiring funds directly to their personal bank account, and using the Booster Clubs debit cards and credit card to pay for personal expenditures. 1 draft pick, Injured Canes players draw comfort from fan's 'get well soon' flag, Triangle-based businesses quiet on LGBTQ bills, More pocket money: Bill would eliminate state income taxes for overtime, bonus pay, Car accident downtown Smithfield left several businesses in the dark, Editorial: N.C. 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For assistance in developing and implementing proper procedures and monitoring compliance with federal, state and local laws, consider using the services of a booster club support organization such as the National Booster Club Training Council (http://boosterclubs.org/) or Parent Booster USA (http://parentbooster.org/). Published: Dec. 8, 2021 at 4:06 PM PST. According to the indictment, all three applications contained false information, including fake revenues and fake payroll and employment data. Deana Sharper will go first. (WATCH BELOW: Messed up: Couple accused of strealing $200K from South Meck HS booster club), Messed up: Couple accused of stealing $200K from South Meck HS booster club. He didnt comment on the case after the couple was charged but urged everyone to keep an open mind. WAXHAW, N.C. (WBTV) - A former high school booster club treasurer has been arrested in Union County on an embezzlement charge, according to the Union County Sheriff's Office. According to allegations contained in the eight-count indictment, between 2017 and June 2020, Anthony Sharper, 39, and Deana Sharper, 45, both of Charlotte, executed a scheme to defraud and embezzle at least $200,000 from a Charlotte-area high school Athletic Booster Club by writing checks to themselves for purported reimbursement, wiring funds directly to their personal bank account, and using the Booster Clubs debit cards and credit card to pay for personal expenditures. After receiving the loan proceeds, Anthony Sharper, 42, used the funds to pay for personal expenditures and to cover up the couple's theft from the Mecklenburg High School Athletic booster club, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Anthony Sharper was sentenced to 30 months in prison followed by two years of supervised release. Annual passenger traffic at DNK airport. In some cases, according to the indictment, their raids on the booster money grew increasingly lavish $5,000 for Hornets tickets; almost $850 on meals at Ruths Chris; more than $20,000 in cash and ATM withdrawals. 2023 Cox Media Group. Sharper CPA, PLLC. The indictment says Sharper obtained more than $236,000 in relief funds intended for businesses harmed by the pandemic. As those philanthropic efforts begin, school administrators and booster club officials need to develop and implement proactive strategies to prevent what has become a problem of increasing dimension nationwide: the misappropriation of club funds by the very individuals entrusted with the moral and fiduciary duties of ensuring that all monies raised are used exclusively to support the education-oriented mission of those organizations. Require two signatures on every check cut to pay a vendor, two endorsements for every withdrawal from or change to a clubs bank account and a For Deposit Only stamp to be placed on every received check by someone different than the person who will process the check. He has been an editor and reporter at the paper since 1992, occasionally writing about schools, religion, politics and sports. Charlotte leaders propose budget for 2024, Committee recommends certain projects over others for sustainability of Charlotte, At least 6 people killed in crashes on I-55 south of Springfield, Illinois, Check out the luxury cars $5 million in fraudulent PPP loans paid for, DOJ alleges, He lost $7,000 in a phone scam, and it could have been stopped before it went too far. Christopher Young, a Washington attorney representing Anthony Sharper, confirmed some of the details of his clients new plea agreement with prosecutors but otherwise did not comment. CHARLOTTE On Tuesday, a man accused of embezzling more than $200,000 from a Charlotte high schools booster club pleaded not guilty to the charges. [4] On 10 April 2022 a Russian attack completely destroyed the airport and the infrastructure nearby. Deana Sharper was ordered to serve 21 months in prison with two years of supervised release and was ordered to pay $239,742. Updated May 20, 2021 12:14 PM A former booster club president and his wife, who served as the concession stand and school store coordinator, at South Mecklenburg High School in Charlotte,. Federal authorities said Anthony Sharper was sentenced to 30 months in prison, followed by two years of supervised release. A former treasurer of Vista Pop Warner Football & Cheer (New York), who pleaded guilty to stealing $114,000 from the organization and was sentenced to one year in jail followed by five years of probation, is also now accused of embezzling more than $6,000 from the Shaker High School All Sport Booster Club by writing and cashing checks made out to cash, with the proceeds then used by her for personal purchases. On 24 February 2022, Ukraine closed airspace to civilian flights due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. What we know. Sunny but still cool temperatures on tap as we enter May, 'The smell is absolutely horrendous': Small towns want company to clean up roadway animal waste spills, GOP lawmakers want to pay for students' private education. Between 2017 and June 2020, the couple executed a scheme to defraud at least $239,000 from the South Meck booster club by writing . WSOC-TV got this statement from the booster club: Following the resignation of both Anthony and Deana Sharper from the Boosters Board last year, irregular transactions were identified and brought to the attention of our bank representative. A married couple was sent to prison on Monday for stealing over $200,000 in funds from the South Mecklenburg High School Athletic Booster Club in Charlotte. Anthony Sharpers crimes combined carry up to 60 years in prison and $2 million in fines again, far more than what Cogburn is expected to hand down. at ACC Tournament, NCHSAA board will consider policy allowing high school athletes to profit off NIL, Person dies after being trapped by tractor Monday night, Southern Lee baseball edges Lee County for Brick City season sweep, Highlights: Woods Charter's Noronha and Cherry light up Triangle Math & Science, Celebrate National BBQ Month in North Carolina by eating something delicious, 50+ Triangle events to check out this May. The couple face decades behind bars, and more than $1 million in fines. Sharper CPA, PLLC, and an Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) application to the Small Business Administration (SBA) on behalf of his CPA firm. Anthony Sharpers plea agreement, which surfaced in federal court on Wednesday, offers few additional details. The couple has been charged with wire fraud, which has a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,000. After receiving the funds, Sharper is accused of using the money to pay for personal expenses and cover up the couple's theft from the booster club. He previously pleaded guilty to wire fraud, making a false statement to a financial institution, engaging in monetary transactions in criminally derived property and tax fraud. Posted: Nov 19, 2020 / 06:33 AM EST. [citation needed], In 2011, the airport's owners initiated a program to develop a new terminal complex. The indictment further alleges that Anthony Sharper, who is a certified public accountant, also committed tax fraud by failing to report any of the embezzled funds on the couples joint 2018 and 2019 tax returns filed with the IRS. Anthony Sharper also faces charges of making false statements to a financial institution, making a false statement to the SBA and filing false tax returns. CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) -The president of a Charlotte high school Booster Club and his wife were indicted on charges of stealing more than $200,000 from the booster club. Almost every incident of embezzlement leads to both the criminal prosecution of the perpetrator and a civil lawsuit to recover the misappropriated funds. Anthony Sharper, who is a certified public accountant, then tried to cover up the theft by using COVID-19 relief loans that he fraudulently obtained, according to investigators. The following are 10 of the more than 30 cases of booster club embezzlement that have been litigated or reported in just the last year: A former school clerk for the Perrysburg (Ohio) Schools was sentenced to 10 years in prison for embezzling over a five-year period more than $800,000 from the high school athletics booster club and from the school monies he used to support a lavish lifestyle that included a large house, luxury cars, a motorhome, a luxury suite at Ohio State football games, and even gifts to the schools sports program a new football stadium scoreboard and baseball facility sound system donated using some of the very funds he had stolen from the program and school. The former president of the Edmond (Oklahoma) Santa Fe High School cheer booster club was sentenced to 10 years in prison, with all but 90 days being suspended, for her embezzlement of $14,000 from the clubs bank accounts. Responsible for all aspects of the clubs bookkeeping and banking, including the deposit of cash receipts from fundraising events, before her sentencing she returned $49,000 of the stolen monies, delivered to authorities in pillowcases stuffed with cash. She has led newsrooms at KUNC in Greely, CO, Rhode Island Public Radio in Providence, RI and WHQR in Wilmington, NC. 57 likes. The couple was indicted on May 19, 2021. This has resulted in a number of management problems and has slowed the airfield's development as Dniproavia has, on a number of occasions, refused to be forthcoming with the required funds to undertake a comprehensive modernization program. The husband was also sentenced after he tried to cover up the theft with. December 09, 2021 at 4:49 am EST. In fact, the antecedent level of unquestioning faith and confidence in those who go on to commit such thefts is almost always cited as a key factor contributing to the lax policies and procedures that provided an opportunity for malfeasance to occur. Opportunity: Persons who embezzle funds tend to be those in positions of opportunity to abuse a position of trust and who believe they have a low risk of getting caught because of weak internal controls, lack of policy enforcement, and their end-to-end authority over cash control and bank accounts. 60 Couple Sentenced After Stealing $239K from South Meck High's Booster Club October 25, 2022 WCCB Staff CHARLOTTE, N.C. (From Press Release) The former president of a Charlotte high school Booster Club and his wife were sentenced to prison Monday for stealing more than $239,000 from the organization. He's also charged with two counts of engaging in monetary transactions in criminally derived property and two counts of filing a false tax return. By using this website, you accept the terms of our Visitor Agreement and Privacy Policy, and understand your options regarding Ad Choices. He spent another $25,000 to pay down the outstanding balance on the booster club credit card. Panthers reach consensus on No. According to The Charlotte Observer, Anthony Sharper was club president and Deana Sharper was the school store coordinator. In order to break the fraud triangle and minimize the chances of embezzlement by a school official or club officer, booster organizations should consider implementing some basic guidelines and procedures: Do not allow one person to handle all of a clubs financial processes. Anthony, who is a certified public accountant, is also accused of falsely applying for paycheck protection funds. Anthony Sharper has also been charged with fraudulently obtaining more than $236,000 in COVID-19 relief loans. Deana Sharper pleaded guilty to wire fraud. The husband, who attempted to cover up their tracks with COVID-19 . A married couple was sent to prison on Monday for stealing over $200,000 in funds from the South Mecklenburg High School Athletic Booster Club in Charlotte. The husband's sentence included him obtaining over $236,000 in COVID-19 relief funds to cover the theft. The club, she said, cooperated fully with the resulting investigation, which included the FBI, the Internal Revenue Service and U.S. postal authorities. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. According to court records, to cover up the theft and to enrich himself, between March and May 2020, Anthony Sharper submitted three fraudulent applications for federal COVID-19 relief funds, including two fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan applications, one in the name of the Booster Club and one in the name of his accounting firm, A. Court documents also show that Anthony Sharper, a certified public accountant, also committed tax fraud by failing to report any embezzled funds on the couple's joint 2018 and 2019 tax returns. He was also ordered to pay out more than$310,000. Anthony Sharper was the president of the South Mecklenburg High School Athletic Booster Club. Anthony Sharper and his wife, Deana Sharper, are accused of scheming to defraud and embezzle at least $200,000 from the South Mecklenburg High Schol athletic booster club by writing checks to themselves for purported reimbursement, as well as wiring funds directly to their personal bank account and using the club's debit cards and credit card to pay for personal expenses. They are very nice people and as the legal process runs its course, everybody will find out more.. It is located 15 kilometres (9mi; 8nmi) southeast from the city center. In recent years, dozens of cases annually have been reported of embezzlement by booster club officials, usually volunteers such as parents or community members who were perceived to be trustworthy and reliable before committing their betrayals of the young people they were pledged to serve. A married couple was sent to prison on Monday for stealing over $200,000 in funds from the South Mecklenburg High School Athletic Booster Club in Charlotte. The Justice Department says all three applications contained false revenue and payroll information. Anthony Sharper, 42, served as the interim president and treasurer for South Mecklenburg High Schools Athletic Booster Club and his wife, Deana Sharper, 47, ran the concession stand and school store. As a result of the fraudulent applications, Anthony Sharper received more than $236,000 in COVID-19 relief funds intended for existing businesses harmed by the coronavirus pandemic. Christopher Young represents the Sharpers. For this reason, South Meck Sports Boosters is grateful for the thorough investigation completed by law enforcement., 90.7 Charlotte 93.7 Southern Pines Sharper is accused of submitting two Paycheck Protection Program loans one in the booster clubs name and another in the name of his accounting firm, A. Also read: Couple convicted after stealing $239,000 from South Meck High's booster club. Email: info@smsportsboosters.com | Twitter: @southmeckSB | Address: 8900 Park Road, Charlotte, NC 28210 SOUTH MECK SPORTS BOOSTERS ALL-SPORTS PASSES ARE BACK! In Oklahoma, a number of other people have been accused and convicted of embezzling from booster clubs. Graphs are temporarily unavailable due to technical issues. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act is a federal law enacted on March 29, 2020, designed to provide emergency financial assistance to the millions of Americans who are suffering the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. 27, 2023), UNC wins ACC Tournament opener easily over BC, Softball: East Columbus vs. South Columbus (Apr. [2] The airport is currently owned by its major airline partner Dniproavia. They also used clubs credit and debit cards to run up thousands of dollars in personal expenses in six states as well as during a trip to London, the indictment shows. That's when they discovered that Yannaki had transferred . A former treasurer of the Sammamish (Washington) Skyline High School booster club returned $31,000 of what an initial forensic audit indicates was more than $100,000 stolen from the organization that supports 80 sports and extracurricular activities at the school, with the investigation ongoing by local prosecutors into the full extent of the crime. He is a member of the High School Today Publications Committee. The husband's punishment included receiving over $236,000 in COVID-19 relief funds to cover the theft. Assistant U.S. Attorney Caryn Finley does not make a sentencing recommendation to the judge and acknowledges that the parties are still arguing over the amount of financial loss tied to Sharpers crimes. The indictment also alleges the couple used Booster Club debit cards to make purchases in North Carolina, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, South Carolina, Virginia, and London, England. Daughter of Buccaneers LB Shaq Barrett Drowns In Family Pool, It's Tea Time At French Market Cafe & Gourmet Shop, Don't Waste Your Money: Bed, Bath and Beyond, Cleveland County Man Cried Happy Tears After Winning $3M, Mom Blogger Calls Out Ridiculous Prom Culture, Teens Charged With First Degree Murder In Rock Throwing Death, Nominate Your Favorite Educator For Teacher Of The Month, EEO Reports and Outreach Initiatives Reports. Carlstrom did not respond to an Observer email Thursday seeking comment. This station is part of Cox Media Group Television. Updated: Nov 19, 2020 / 06:33 AM EST. CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) -The president of a Charlotte high school Booster Club and his wife were indicted on charges of stealing more than $200,000 from the booster club. CHARLOTTE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) A husband and wife pair was sentenced to prison Monday for stealing more than $239,000 from a Charlotte high school booster club, according to U.S. Distric Wayne Hedin, of Waxhaw, was arrested for one count of embezzlement by public officer/trustee on Wednesday, following a month-long . 6 British Castles Where You Can Stay Like Royalty on a Commoners Budget, Five On Your Side: Ways to get better wifi for under $250, Farmers markets in North Carolina: Fresh produce, baked goods and more, UNC allergy expert gives tips to help you deal with the pollen season, The 25 most memorable moments in Carolina Hurricanes history, Pick-your-own: Where to find strawberry farms in Raleigh, Cary, Durham, Chapel Hill, Eric Marion: We want to change the perception when facing Pinecrest, Highlights: Union Pines baseball stuns Pinecrest with come from behind victory, Nick Stevens discusses impact of new participation data & what's next, Tommy Harrington: We feel like we've got three No. Federal prosecutors say 39-year-old Anthony Sharper and 45-year-old Deana Sharper wrote themselves checks, wired money into their bank account and used the clubs debit and credit cards. Click here to sign up for the daily Wake Up Charlotte newsletter. Anthony Sharper was sentenced to 30 months in prison followed by two years of supervised release. All rights reserved. Court documents show that, Anthony Sharper, who is a certified public accountant, also committed tax fraud by failing to report any of the embezzled funds on the couples joint 2018 and 2019 tax returns filed with the IRS. The South Meck. Copyright 2023 NFHS. In May, Parker was given to a 5 . If you previously used a social network to login to WRAL.com, click the Forgot your password link to reset your password. The indictment says the charges were tracked to Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, South Carolina, Virginia and London, England. They gradually gained influence and control over the booster clubs affairs to the point that by 2019, they were the only authorized signatories on the checking account. $1 million per occurrence and $2 million aggregate is a commonly recommended standard for booster clubs. Anthony Sharper was originally indicted on eight counts and pleaded not guilty in June. Florida man got $1.9M in PPP money, used it to buy new Mercedes, prosecutors say, WSOC TV facebook feed(Opens a new window), ALSO READ: Popular east Charlotte restaurant owner, son charged with COVID relief fraud, ALSO READ: NC man charged with fraud in Game of Thrones themed virus aid scheme, ALSO READ: Charlotte woman went shopping with $150K virus relief loan, prosecutors say, Charlotte bride killed, husband seriously hurt in wedding night crash, Bikinis, booze & bikes: Myrtle Beach rules to know ahead of summer, Helpless: Video shows shooting from car toward crowded park in Villa Heights, Another homebuyer says Keyo Tiny House didnt do the work, Fisherman pulls massive catfish out of Lake Norman, WSOC - TV Public File Contact / Program Director, WAXN - TV Public File Contact / Program Director. She pleaded guilty to wire fraud. A well-known observation about breaches of trust, the origin of which has never been conclusively established but is often attributed to Mark Twain, is that the saddest thing about betrayal is that it never comes from an enemy, but rather it always comes from a friend or trusted ally. Booster officials say the organization was contacted by law enforcement, and they have been cooperating during the investigation. He was also ordered to pay $310,832. [8] The runway was destroyed according to official statement of the head of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast Administration. CHARLOTTE A Charlotte couple was sentenced Monday after they stole $239,000 from a high schools booster club. In September 2020 the completion of a new runway and terminal was foreseen for late 2022 or early 2023. Many of the high-dollar cases of embezzlement involving booster clubs are perpetrated by someone who has uninterrupted control over club finances for a multi-year period of time, thereby facilitating an ongoing theft because of the absence of checks and balances on that persons autonomy.