A St. Louis County charity grapples with the aftermath of a financial betrayal as a former finance manager has admitted to a staggering embezzlement scheme. According to KSDK, Joelle Fouse, 57, pled guilty to three felony counts of wire fraud on Tuesday, confessing to the theft of nearly $700,000 from Promise Community Homes, a charity serving adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Over the span of more than a decade, as reported by KSDK, Fouse abused her role of manager and director of finance and human resources, surreptitiously transferring funds to personal accounts and manipulating payroll systems. While the charity dedicated itself to housing the vulnerable, Fouse was crafting unauthorized expense payments to a bank account she had secretly opened, which amounted to $407,186.
The scheme didn’t end there, however. Fouse made 184 unauthorized purchases totaling $133,210 using a company credit card and caused the charity to overpay payroll taxes by the sum of $10,694. She attempted to hide these fraudulent actions by falsifying financial documents and distorting account records, as FOX 2 Now indicates.
Caught in December of 2023 by her employers who acted swiftly by contacting federal authorities, the consequences of Fouse’s actions impeded the charity’s capacity to fully serve its community. Denoting to the depth of the deceit, her unauthorized activities also encompassed falsifying payroll records, which led to 71 unauthorized payroll payments totaling $139,810, as outlined by the Business Journals. Fouse leveraged her position to fund personal expenditures, including travel and entertainment, at the cost of the charity’s mission.
Each count of wire fraud carries a potential sentence of 20 years in prison or fines up to $250,000. Fouse’s sentencing is set for July 10, a date that marks the pivot from confession to adjudication. Operating under the name Promise Community Homes post a rebranding in early 2021, the charity reported a total revenue of $2.5 million against expenses of $2.4 million for the year 2023, with Matt Elmore at the helm as the executive director, as quoted by the Business Journals. The organization, despite a significant financial loss, strives to continue its vital services, supporting individuals with special needs in the St. Louis County.
