Volunteer allegedly steals $ 24K in lunch money

WINNIPEG — Fraud charges have been laid after $ 24,000 of kids’ lunch money went missing at an elementary school in the River East Transcona School Division.

The volunteer treasurer of the program, a 39- year- old woman, was arrested Thursday.

Police allege that she withdrew money from the lunch program funds for her own personal use between December 2013 and October 2014. The total amount stolen is estimated at over $ 24,000.

“This individual was in charge of those ( funds) and based on our investigation was allegedly mishandling them and as a result she has to answer for those actions,” Const. Jason Michalyshen said Friday.

She is facing charges of theft over $ 5,000 and fraud over $ 5,000 and was released on a promise to appear. It is expected that charges will be formally laid at her fi rst court appearance on June 16.

“We all know over time things like that will likely catch up with you, and it did,” Michalyshen said.

Last October, members of the commercial crime unit began a fraud investigation after they were contacted by the Joseph Teres School Lunch Program parent volunteer organizing committee. The committee had discovered inconsistencies regarding the allocation of lunch program funds, which resulted in their own initial investigation.

A Kindergarten to Grade 5 school in Transcona, Joseph Teres is one of 27 schools in the division with a lunch program.