SIOUX FALLS — A Sioux Falls woman is facing felony charges after police say she used stolen funds from a Parent Teacher Association to support a “pyramid scheme,” pay for streaming services and more.
Former PTA president Tiffaniee Cope was indicted Wednesday, April 10, on one count of embezzlement of property received in trust, a Class 6 felony.
Authorities first learned of the alleged embezzlement on Oct. 25, 2023, when a former board member of the Sioux Falls PTA told an officer with the Sioux Falls Police Department that Cope had used more than $1,000 of PTA funds for her own personal use.
An official with the state PTA association confirmed that they were aware of the alleged theft, and that their records indicated the loss could be as high as $3,000.
Investigators were able to review bank statements related to the alleged embezzlement, and, in an affidavit provided to prosecutors, accused Cope of linking the PTA’s bank account to her own PayPal account, using it to pay bills and make money transfers.
“I found 25 transactions during [the 2021 and 2022] statement years that totaled $1,210.71 that was used by Tiffaniee Cope and was not related to PTA activities,” a detective wrote in the affidavit.
Individual transactions listed in court documents show more than $850 in transactions that were labeled “Younique by Tiffaniee.”
“I researched and found that Younique is a ‘pyramid scheme’ that recruits people to sell cosmetic items on a ‘multi-level marketing’ platform,” a detective wrote in the affidavit.
Other transactions alleged to have been made by Cope using PTA funds include eight months of a Netflix subscription at $16.50 per month, as well as a one-month subscription to Peacock for $12.78. The transaction list also includes multiple Venmo and Zelle transactions.
In the affidavit, a detective said he had made multiple attempts to speak with Cope, but that Cope had not returned any phone calls.
According to court records, a warrant was issued for Cope’s arrest on Feb. 16. After she was taken into custody, she posted a $1,000 bond on March 1. Her bond was later modified to a personal recognizance bond on March 14.
Following the April 10 indictment, Cope is scheduled to appear in a Minnehaha County courtroom on May 2 for an arraignment.
If convicted of the Class 6 felony, Cope could be sentenced to serve up to two years in prison and pay fines of up to $4,000 plus restitution.
A South Dakota native, Hunter joined Forum Communications as a reporter for the Mitchell (S.D.) Republic in June 2021 and now works as a digital reporter for Sioux Falls Live, with a primary focus on crime in Sioux Falls and government in Lincoln County.
