A former official of a charity that serves adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities pleaded guilty Tuesday to embezzling approximately $690,000 over more than a decade.
Joelle Fouse, 57, admitted in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to three felony counts of wire fraud. Fouse served as the charity’s manager and director of finance and human resources. Her responsibilities included overseeing payroll, expense reimbursements, and maintaining the organization’s financial records.
According to court documents, Fouse conducted the fraud through several methods. She initiated 181 unauthorized expense payments totaling $407,186 by submitting false reimbursement information to a third-party payroll processor. She also submitted false payroll data that resulted in 71 additional unauthorized payments totaling $139,810…