A former official of a St. Louis County charity confessed to embezzling close to $700,000 on Tuesday. Joelle Fouse, aged 57, pleaded guilty to three counts of wire fraud in the U.S. District Court in St. Louis. Fouse, who was in charge of finance and human resources at the charity supporting adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, admitted to theft and misappropriation of funds over more than a decade.
Fouse's fraudulent activities included authorizing 181 unauthorized expense payments amounting to $407,186, transferred into her own bank accounts by creating false expense reimbursement records. She also falsified payroll information to trigger 71 unauthorized payments worth $139,810. These unauthorized activities resulted in the charity overpaying approximately $10,694 in payroll taxes. Furthermore, Fouse made 184 unauthorized purchases totaling $133,210 using her company credit card. She attempted to conceal her fraudulent acts by falsifying financial and accounting records.
Fouse admitted to using the embezzled funds for personal expenses such as travel, clothing, entertainment, dining, and rent payments for herself and her relatives. Her fraudulent practice affected the charity's capacity to offer services to the disabled adults it catered to.
Her tenure at the charity spanned from October 2012 to December 2023, ending with her dismissal when the employer reported her actions to federal authorities.
Fouse is set to be sentenced on July 10, with each wire fraud count carrying a potential penalty of up to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Hal Goldsmith is leading the prosecution.
