} South Meck High School Booster Club. South Meck Sports Boosters is the non-profit, parent volunteer organization that supports South Mecklenburg High School athletes, coaches and administrators.Join now to support Sabres sports! Abigail Saunderson, her mother says, never knew the pain pill she took in September was laced with the opioid thats 100 times as powerful as morphine. 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. 1 pitchers, Mayson Dear: I knew this could be my last home game ever, NCHSAA commissioner addresses problems at basketball regionals. According to investigators, he tried to cover up the theft by using COVID-19 relief loans that he fraudulently obtained. However, the construction was soon frozen and, as of 2017, building work has not progressed beyond the laying of foundations. The indictment alleges the couple spent tens of thousands of dollars on car payments, Hornets tickets, fine dining, travel, personal shopping in big-box retailers and clothing stores, and made $20,000 in cash and ATM withdrawals. 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. 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. In addition to this, foreign airlines have found it difficult to gain access to Dnipro as a result of Dniproavia's protectionist policies along routes to and from the airport. Catherine Welch is Assistant News Director at WFAE. var field59 = field59 || {}; 2023 Capitol Broadcasting Company, Inc. NCHSAA board will consider policy allowing high school athletes to profit off NIL, Basketball final four, bat testing, & participation: Here's what the NCHSAA board will discuss this week, Person dies after being trapped by tractor Monday night, Protesters rejecting, supporting Johnston Co. commissioner gather at Monday meeting, Slugging UNC signee Luke Stevenson leads Wake Forest on state championship push, NC Senate Committee debates bill on trans athletes in sports. 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 dangerous one. March gardening guide: What plants and vegetables can you plant this month? His plea hearing had not been scheduled as of Thursday. 2023 Capitol Broadcasting Company, Inc. 2021 WRAL Voters' Choice Awards Go-To Guide, Cyber security: Protecting your digital life, Why So Many of Us Dont Lose Weight When We Exercise, Buffalo Brothers - 1/2 Price Appetizers 4:30pm-6:00pm Monday - Friday, Click to See All CONTESTS available from WRAL.com, Bio Jobs Hub: Find a great-paying job that changes lives, even yours, Fans and fun at ACC Tournament in Greensboro, Baseball: Heide Trask vs. Whiteville (Apr. The couple face decades behind bars, and more than $1 million in fines. This has had a detrimental impact on our student-athletes. By using this website, you accept the terms of our Visitor Agreement and Privacy Policy, and understand your options regarding Ad Choices. 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. Anthony Sharper is also charged with tax fraud for failing to report any of the embezzled funds on the couple's joint tax returns in 2018 and 2019. It had one runway designated 08/26 with a concrete surface measuring 2,841 by 44 metres (9,321ft 144ft). Prosecutors also say he applied to the Small Business Administration for an economic injury disaster loan. The club, she said, cooperated fully with the resulting investigation, which included the FBI, the Internal Revenue Service and U.S. postal authorities. It is located 15 kilometres (9mi; 8nmi) southeast from the city center. The documents state that between March and May 2020, he submitted three fraudulent applications for federal COVID-19 relief funds, including two fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan applications. ALAMOGORDO, N.M. (AP) A New Mexico man has been sentenced to nearly a year in prison after he pleaded no contest in the theft of thousands of dollars for a high school football booster club. He was also ordered to pay a money judgement of $310,832.80. [7], On 24 February 2022, Ukraine closed airspace to civilian flights due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. . He may be contacted at Lee.Green@BakerU.Edu. In fact, according to the indictment, the actual amount was $522.07. A former treasurer of the Wheatland (California) High School booster club turned herself in after being accused of stealing more than $15,000 from the organization and in the process emptying the account that was to be used to grant multiple college scholarships to students. Real-time updates and all local stories you want right in the palm of your hand. When Goodrich (Mich.) High School Athletic Booster Club treasurer Tonya Yannaki suddenly stopped attending meetings last year, her fellow boosters demanded she turn over the club's financial statements. Ensure that all federal, state and local legal mandates regarding the operation of booster clubs are being followed, including IRS 501(c)(3) nonprofit registration requirements, IRS 501(c)(3) tax return filing mandates, state statutes governing nonprofit incorporation and record-keeping rules, state laws specifically regulating booster clubs and parent-teacher organizations, state agency rules addressing sales and use tax permits, state board of education or state activity association requirements for booster clubs, and school district governance mandates for clubs. The husband was also sentenced after he tried to cover up the theft with fraudulently . All rights reserved. Panthers reach consensus on No. A Charlotte couple was sentenced Monday after they stole $239,000 from a high school's booster club. According to court filings, Deana Sharper is pleading straight up to the wire fraud charge, meaning she has not received any inducements from prosecutors in return for her guilty plea. They are very nice people, Young said. Both Anthony Sharper and his wife, Deana Sharper, are charged with wire fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years and a $250,000 fine. Sharper CPA, PLLC, and an Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) application to the Small Business Administration (SBA) on behalf of his CPA firm. Solo Nebraska Cheerleader Steals the Show at Cheer and Dance Champion. Rotation of duties is another of the most effective strategies for eliminating the opportunity to embezzle. The former president of the South Mecklenburg High School booster club and his wife were sentenced to prison after investigators said they stole more than $230,000 from the booster. 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. A Guide to Reducing Your Health Care Costs, Breaking Barriers: Challenges and opportunities for Latino students, EQUALibrium: An exploration of race and equity in Charlotte, Falling short: Why Democrats keep losing most statewide races, EQUALibrium Live: Conversations on Race & Equity, NPR's Founding Mothers In Conversation With WFAE's Lisa Worf, CMS board keeps piling on tough tasks. He used $40,000 of the federal loan money on South Mecklenburg High's playing fields, painting the offices of the school's coaches and purchasing sports equipment . This station is part of Cox Media Group Television. The couple has been charged with wire fraud, which has a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,000. Over a three-year period starting in 2017, the Sharpers wrote more than $100,000 in checks to themselves from the account for fraudulent reimbursements. According to the U.S. Attorneys Office, his three applications relied on fake revenue, payroll and employment numbers, leading to Sharper receiving almost a quarter of million dollars in aid from Bank of America and Wells Fargo. Sharper CPA, PLLC, and an Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) application to the Small Business Administration (SBA) on behalf of his CPA firm. Updated: Nov 19, 2020 / 06:33 AM EST. One of the applications was in the name of the booster club and the other was in the name of his accounting firm, A. Booster club boards should, as one of their key functions, create annual budgets and as a group reconcile those budgets on a quarterly or annual basis to closely monitor the in-flow and out-flow of club funds. According to The Charlotte Observer, Anthony Sharper was club president and Deana Sharper was the school store coordinator. Sharper CPA, PLLC and an Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) application to the Small Business Administration (SBA) on behalf of his CPA firm. . See, List of the busiest airports in the former USSR. $1 million per occurrence and $2 million aggregate is a commonly recommended standard for booster clubs. The husband was also sentenced after he tried to cover up the theft with. Dnipro International Airport (Ukrainian: ) (IATA: DNK, ICAO: UKDD) was an airport serving Dnipro, a city in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, Ukraine.It is located 15 kilometres (9 mi; 8 nmi) southeast from the city center. 2023 Cox Media Group. 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. A solid set of booster-club guidelines can guard against embezzlement. US Attorneys said that between 2017 and June 2020, the couple executed a scheme to defraud and embezzle $239,000 from the club by writing checks to themselves for purported reimbursement. Woman sentenced in South Carolina booster club embezzlement case by: Sophia Radebaugh. 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. The indictment shows that after receiving the loan proceeds, Anthony Sharper used the funds to pay for personal expenditures and to cover up the couples theft of the Booster Clubs funds. The South Meck. That May, the indictment claims, he used $40,000 of the loans on South Mecks playing fields, painting the offices of the schools coaches, and purchasing sports equipment. Almost every incident of embezzlement leads to both the criminal prosecution of the perpetrator and a civil lawsuit to recover the misappropriated funds. 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. However, its most useful application may be that its three components also can serve as the foundation for organizations of all types, including employers, nonprofits, schools and booster clubs, to develop strategies designed to eliminate or minimize the elements that provide the triangle with its structure and strength to essentially break the triangle thereby reducing the likelihood of fraudulent activity such as embezzlement being perpetrated in the first place. 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. A North Carolina couple was jailed this week for embezzling $239,000 from a Charlotte high school's booster club. She pleaded guilty to wire fraud. On 24 February 2022, Ukraine closed airspace to civilian flights due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. [9] A repeat attack on 10 April 2022 completely destroyed the airport and the infrastructure nearby. All rights reserved. If you previously used a social network to login to WRAL.com, click the Forgot your password link to reset your password. (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. 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. Federal authorities said Anthony Sharper was sentenced to 30 months in prison, followed by two years of supervised release. [5], The following airlines operate regular scheduled and charter services to and from Dnipro International Airport:[10], As of 24 February 2022, all passenger flights have been suspended indefinitely.