Oak Creek Woman Accused of Embezzling Almost $100,000 from Grace Church

OAK CREEK -- A former employee of Grace Lutheran Church in Oak Creek is accused of embezzling nearly $100,000 from the church over a four-year period.

Kelly A. Fischer, 44, Oak Creek, has been charged with one count of embezzlement greater than $10,000. If convicted, she faces up to five years in prison or up to $25,000 in fines, or both. She has been ordered into court on Sep. 23.

According to her criminal complaint, Fischer served in a variety of capacities at Grace Lutheran Church, including administrative assistant and acting director between Feb. 2011 and March 2016. She was reportedly entrusted with a debit card and also bank account privileges to manage church finances.

In March 2016, the pastor at Grace Church confronted Fischer with his suspicions that she was stealing from Grace ECC after it was noticed that she used funds to pay for Garth Brooks Concert tickets. She resigned later that month after the extent of the embezzlement was being discovered.

Many Types of Theft

Childcare

Several families pay childcare fees in cash rather than by check, and Fischer was responsible for receiving these cash payments, recording them in the Procare computerized bookkeeping system, and depositing the cash into the Grace ECC account with BMO Harris Bank. An analysis showed that Fischer deposited $15,232.50 cash less than she received as childcare payments between 2013-2016, according to the complaint.

ATM

According to her complaint, Fischer made cash withdrawals of $46,570.75 from the Grace ECC account. Most of the withdrawals were by debit card at automatic teller machine, and Fischer did not spend the withdrawn cash on Grace ECC expenses. Using two ATM cards, Fischer withdrew $14,365 using one card and $27,885 using the second card between March 2014-March 2016.

Gas and Groceries

According to her complaint, Fischer also racked up higher-than-expected charges for gas and groceries on a regular basis. Police say she filled up gas tanks between two and three times a week, which was an unusually high frequency based on church needs. Police indicated that Fischer's grocery store purchases also exceeded normal church demands. Records showed that grocery purchases made by Fischer fluctuated by as much as $600 month-to-month over a two year period.

Police say Fischer The total theft was $95,778.21.

BMO Harris Bank records that Pastor Dummer provided show that, from March 22, 2013 to February 29, 2016, Fischer used Grace ECC debit cards to make unauthorized miscellaneous purchases totaling $11,816.04. These purchases generally consisted of restaurant meals, clothing, travel, and entertainment.

The miscellaneous purchases included the following:

• $144.62 at Microtel Inn, Fond du Lac, WI (3/22/13);
• $83.44 at Burlington Coat Factory (4/22/13);
• $413.48 at AARP Travel Center (6/14/13);
• $240.94 at Hampton Inn, St. Charles, MO (4/8/14);
• $198.00 at Grand Geneva Resort, Lake Geneva, WI (4/8/14);
• $1,284.86 for Martin Luther School tuition payment (4/28/14);
• $1,277.75 at Mattress Firm, Oak Creek, WI (12/29/14);
• $385.46 at Enterprise Rent-A-Car (2/4/15);
• $138.34 at LIDS Team Sports, Indianapolis, IN (2/17/15);
• $190.61 and $190.61 at TM Garth Brooks (8/31/15);
• $484.69 at Steinhafels, Oak Creek, WI (11/30/15)
• $15.00 (8/13/14), $42.00 (10/3/14), and $75.00 (8/13/15) at VIP Nails, Oak Creek, WI.

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