toledoblade.com --

Blissfield Elementary School's Parent Teacher Organization learned the hard way that when it comes to money, you can't always trust your friends.

The group's treasurer was convicted last year of embezzling more than $18,000 from the organization.

"There's nothing like getting burned to make you get smart and figure out what needs to be done," said Blissfield PTO President Anne Lycans. "It's amazing how many organizations are victims."

Just last week, the former treasurer of the Waite High School band boosters was charged with grand theft and forgery for allegedly taking more than $12,000 from the group. That case comes on the heels of several similar ones, including the conviction of a Perrysburg woman for stealing $31,000 from both the Bowling Green State University alumni association, where she was employed, and $31,000 from the Glenwood Elementary PTO in Rossford where she was president.

A Walbridge man who works as a Wood County sheriff's deputy is facing charges he took more than $5,000 from the Eastwood Youth Soccer Association.

The crime has affected PTOs, Little League groups, and other nonprofit organizations in urban, suburban, and rural areas alike in northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan. In every case, the culprits have been parents or teachers who volunteered their time - not career criminals.

"It's always that cliche you hear ... all the neighbors say, 'I never would have thought that. She's such a nice person,' " said Tim Sullivan, president of PTO Today, a magazine and resource provider for PTOs across the country. "It's a case of opportunity meeting desperation."

Mr. Sullivan said the crime is "distressingly prevalent."

"The biggest reason this happens so frequently is opportunity," Mr. Sullivan said. "You're treating this as a very collegial, unofficial organization, and that's understandable, but it's certainly inadvisable because of what we're seeing in the papers every week."

In Blissfield, the group that raises between $12,000 and $16,000 annually to support teachers and school projects underwent a makeover of its bylaws and cash-handling procedures after its treasury was cleaned out, Mrs. Lycans said. The group also purchased bonding insurance for its officers to cover losses from theft and began having an annual audit of its books conducted by an outside party.

"We underwent quite a few measures to protect ourselves," Mrs. Lycans said.

Hawkins Elementary PTO in West Toledo, whose former treasurer was convicted of stealing $25,822 in 2004, has implemented some of the same changes, including annual audits and bonding insurance, said current President Kathleen Smith. The group also no longer allows one person to oversee the money that comes in and out, she said.

Assistant Wood County Prosecutor Paul Dobson, who has handled a series of criminal cases involving such thefts, said in many cases the opportunity for the volunteer who handles the group's finances to steal from that group is enormous if there are no checks and balances in place.

"I've been involved in Cub Scouts and church groups, and it's so easy to allow the person who expresses an interest and some knowledge to handle the money," Mr. Dobson said. "These organizations by virtue of the fact that they are volunteer organizations require a certain level of trust."

In many cases, officers are friends or relatives and have an even higher level of trust.

"One of the problems with these organizations is that finding volunteers is a relatively difficult thing to do," Mr. Dobson said. "In some cases the treasurer and president are husband and wife. In some cases the treasurer and president are the same person."

While taking precautionary steps means extra work for officers, Mr. Sullivan said it's time well spent.

"These [PTO] groups raise on average about $22,000 a year," he said. "That's money to be protected."

Mr. Dobson urged organizations to be open about their finances - not only to instill trust in their members but to make it harder for an officer to steal from the kitty.

"One thing that all of these cases have in common is that the people who are committing these thefts are very secretive," he said. "If the general attitude of the administration is to be open with financial disclosure, it's going to be very obvious when someone is being secretive."

Organizations that are not forthcoming about their finances "create an environment where someone can be secretive and not arouse suspicion."

Mrs. Lycans said her PTO treasurer now presents a monthly report at membership meetings on how much money was received, how much was spent, and how it was spent. "And now we say, 'and this has been verified by another officer.' "

She said she feels confident her PTO has protected itself from future embezzlement.

"I think we're in really good shape, and one thing I want to stress when I'm no longer PTO president is that the policies that we have put in place to make sure it doesn't happen again must be followed," she said. "You need to watch each other even though you're friends and you would never think they would do that."

Contact Jennifer Feehan at: jfeehan@theblade.com or 419-353-5972.

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