Boy Scout Mom Stole More Than $15,000 From Troop: Police

OAK CREEK, WI — A Boy Scout mother from Oak Creek has been charged in court after authorities say she stole more than $15,000 from a Boy Scout pack in Hales Corners. Authorities say she's working to pay it back.

Authorities say that Michelle Zweigler, 46, Oak Creek, has been charged with theft in a business setting, and could face up to three years behind bars or a $10,000 fine, or both if she is convicted.

According to a criminal complaint filed in Milwaukee County, Zweigler was the treasurer for Boy Scout Pack 599 in Hales Corners for a period of three years from 2013 to 2016. The complaint stated that a new treasurer in 2016 reviewed the pack's finances and learned that a number of checks were missing from the books. When the new treasurer conducted an audit, they found that about $12,000 was not accounted for.

According to the criminal complaint, about 42 checks were missing in 2013, 48 in 2014 and 22 more in 2015.

The criminal complaint states that when the new treasurer talked with Zweigler about the missing checks, she said that she had been using Boy Scout funds to pay her personal bills.

Police are reporting that the total money of withdrawals from the Boy Scout pack's account over a period of three years amounted to $15,239 and that the withdrawals match deposits into Zweigler's bank account.

According to court documents, prosecutors and Zweigler's party are working on a deferred prosecution agreement. A deferred prosecution agreement in Wisconsin often entails a defendant entering a guilty plea to a charge and then undergo a period of monitoring. If the person who agrees to the deferred prosecution agreement violates the terms of the agreement, they will be sentenced for the crime they previously pled guilty to.

According to court documents, both parties requested an adjournment so that she can work toward the full restitution amount.

Image Via Milwaukee County Jail