Avon Woman Pleads Guilty to Stealing Basketball Funds
ST. CLOUD -- An Avon woman has pleaded guilty to three counts of theft-by swindle after stealing thousands of dollars from the Albany Girls Basketball Association. In exchange for her guilty pleas, two other similar charges were dropped.
According to the criminal complaint, 51-year-old Kimberly Ritzer used her role as the group’s treasurer to access bank accounts and buy personal items. Records show Ritzer spent just over $8,200 at stores like Victoria’s Secret, Hollister and Ulta over a two-and-a-half year span.
Members of the association discovered the missing funds last fall. Ritzer was in charge of the basketball association’s finances for seven years and was the only one responsible for the accounts. She had bank statements mailed to her home and provided handwritten balance sheets to association members.
The complaint also says Ritzer admitted taking the money for personal expenses, agreed to pay them back and resigned from the position.
She'll be sentenced December 4th.