HS Athletic Director Facing Felony Fraud Charge

A former high school athletic director in Waunakee, Wis., is facing felony charges for the unauthorized use of a school credit card. During his tenure as athletic director, Brian Smith rang up thousands of dollars in charges over the course of several years. Smith has been accused of using the card for meals, gasoline, clothing and other items.

Use of the school credit card for a cable bill was flagged by a school official. The criminal complaint reports that Smith admitted to using the credit card for unauthorized purchases and gave the district’s administrator a personal check for the amount of $2,000.

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An investigation by the school district later found more than $8,000 in card charges tied to Smith’s personal use, including $3,000 in fraudulent charges that Smith did not intend to reimburse and $5,6000 in card transactions that constituted violations of the school’s credit card use policies.

Smith resigned from his post in June. Days before his resignation Smith summarized his actions to a Waunakee Police detective during an interrogation. He said that financial troubles had caused him to misuse the credit card.

Court records state Smith is charged with two misdemeanor card fraud charges, but a district attorney official has stated the felony charge will replace one of the misdemeanor counts.

According to WKOW, a Dane County official has stated that Smith will make an initial appearance on the felony charge sometime on Monday.