EAU CLAIRE — A woman who worked for the VFW as a manager was in court on theft charges Tuesday as authorities accuse her of stealing from cash deposits.
Jennifer Simonson, 42, Eau Claire, faces a charge of theft from a business setting involving $10,000-$100,000. Police were called to VFW Post 7232 in June of last year after the VFW’s accountant reviewed books and found almost $80,000 unaccounted for. The review came after deposits didn’t match receipts.
The money had been placed in a safe at the VFW, but a portion of it never made it into the bank. Only two people, including Simonson, had access to it. The other person was the one who made the police report.
According to the criminal complaint, “Simonson does not fill out tracking slips — in fact Simonson refuses to.” Instead, she provided the VFW with only the bank receipt for deposits she made.
That wasn’t the only suspicious behavior noted in the complaint. The person who spoke with investigators also said the VFW proposed additional steps to track money, such as having two people count it before a deposit, when it found the initial discrepancies. Simonson refused to participate in those measures as well.
The books showed deposits varied only slightly during a week Simonson was on vacation. Those amounts were consistent with errors in giving change or other, minor mistakes. Investigators reviewed videos of Simonson at the VFW safe, including one in which she simply took money out and put it in her purse.
When police reviewed Simonson’s bank records, they showed numerous large cash deposits. Many of those were made on or about the time she made cash deposits on behalf of the VFW, including one that involved $10,000 placed into her personal account.
When confronted by investigators, Simonson said she was confused by how money kept going missing. She directly denied taking any of it. The complaint concluded with the statement she “never returned to work at the VFW” after being interviewed by authorities.
The charge is a Class G felony. Under Wisconsin law, that category carries the potential for 10 years in prison and fines of up to $25,000.
Simonson posted a $15,000 bond after her arrest. Her release conditions bar her from any contact with the VFW and from handling “cash or finances of any other person or business.” She has not yet entered a plea in the case.
The next hearing is scheduled for May 6.
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