THE BUZZ!
Students sold chocolate to raise money for school. A Baltimore County man stole $29,000 from them.
Lastly,
Back in town.
A not-so-fun fundraising for some Baltimore middle schoolers. That’s because James Michael Harris, the parent teacher student association’s treasurer, pleaded guilty to embezzling $29,000 from the students.
The stolen funds were raised through a chocolate candy fundraiser for Stemmer’s Run Middle School in Essex, Maryland. But they were never able to enjoy the benefits of their hard work.
Harris drained the nonprofit’s bank account and admitted to transferring funds between PayPal accounts before spending them on himself and online gambling sites.
Things went from bad to worse for the PTA. Parents quit in frustration, their insurance claim got denied, and they almost lost their national PTA affiliation. To top it all off, they still owe the chocolate company over $3,000!
Meantime, Harris has already paid back $8,000 using funds withdrawn from a retirement account and is working to return more of the sum in coming months.
The state is seeking prison time for Harris but agreed to a plea deal that would suspend sentencing for another six months while he pays restitution. He faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.
AS grown man stealing from kids, that’s pretty low.
Source: CBS / Baltimore Banner
