NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — A former treasurer for a Norfolk nonprofit organization has been sentenced to nine months in jail after pleading guilty to embezzling $27,000 while overseeing the group’s finances.
Local man convicted of embezzling money from unnamed nonprofit organization
Christopher Bernhardt, 45, was sentenced in Norfolk Circuit Court on felony charges of embezzlement, issuing bad checks, and failure to appear in court. Public court documents show Bernhardt stole the funds between October 2020 and April 2022 while serving as treasurer for the Little Theatre of Norfolk.
According to court documents, Bernhardt wrote checks to himself, pocketed cash deposits and made unauthorized transfers from the nonprofit’s bank account. When confronted by fellow members, Bernhardt admitted to the theft and offered to repay the money in installments.
In November 2022, he gave the organization a $3,000 check that later bounced, court documents state…