ST. LOUIS 鈥 A local woman spent more than a decade embezzling at least $690,000 from a St. 不良研究所导航网址 County charity that provides housing to adults with disabilities, federal prosecutors said in an indictment unsealed Tuesday.
Joelle Fouse, 57, the former human resources and finance director for Promise Community Homes, used the money for trips, clothing, rent, food and entertainment between 2013 and 2023, charges say. She is accused of using the nonprofit鈥檚 credit card, withdrawing cash from ATMs with the organization鈥檚 account, altering expense reports and using direct deposit software to send herself money.
The losses did not impact the charity鈥檚 day-to-day operations or existing efforts to provide accessible, low-cost housing to adults with developmental and intellectual disabilities, said executive director Matt Elmore in an interview. But it did impact morale.
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鈥淭his definitely took everyone aback,鈥 he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a disgusting thing to do period, but especially to do to our organization and to our residents and the people we serve.鈥
Fouse started working at Promise Community Homes, previously called Rainbow Village, in 2012. The organization has been around since 1973 and provides affordable, accessible and well-maintained housing for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Fouse oversaw finances and human resources for the organization. But in December 2023, officials noticed something was amiss. They hired a forensic accountant to investigate, Elmore said.
That accounting and a subsequent FBI investigation uncovered hundreds of thousands of dollars that had gone directly to Fouse or her family members for more than a decade, charges said.
She made $133,210 in purchases on the nonprofit鈥檚 master card and filed false expense reports to cover it up, prosecutors say. She also made 252 unauthorized direct deposit payments totaling nearly $547,000 to multiple bank accounts she controlled, the indictment said.
Elmore said the revelations about the money caused the organization to take a deeper look and improve financial controls. But he noted that they already had safeguards in place that Fouse was able to circumvent.
He said he was grateful to the FBI and U.S. Attorney鈥檚 Office.
鈥淲e are grateful for their thorough attention and prosecution,鈥 the organization said in a statement.
In addition to her work at Promise Community Homes, Fouse also served as treasurer on the board of charter school City Garden Montessori, which has preschool students through eighth grade.
Christie Huck, the school鈥檚 CEO, said in an email Tuesday that Fouse had stepped down from the board and did not have access to any school money as a member.
鈥淗er service on the board was entirely positive,鈥 Huck said.
Fouse is facing three counts of wire fraud. Each charge carries a maximum of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. She was expected to plead not guilty to the charges during a first appearance in court on Tuesday.
Post-Dispatch reporter Blythe Bernhard contributed to this story.
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