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YMCA embezzlement suspicions persist By Jonel Aleccia Suspicions of embezzlement at the Rogue Valley Family YMCA date back at least two years, according to a former employee who said agency officials knew cash was missing. "When I first got there, they were going to work on their accountability," said Tod Harrison, 40, of Medford, a YMCA door monitor from September 1998 through last May. "It was always, �Someone�s taking money and we�re going to catch them�." YMCA officials last week confirmed that $6,000 to $7,000 in cash payments may be missing after someone apparently manipulated computer systems and falsified customer receipts. General Director Mike Cronin said that the problem first surfaced in March or April and that an audit of a year�s worth of records did not reveal specific enough information about a large enough loss to warrant a police investigation. But Harrison, who left the agency in May to take another job, said rumors of missing money swirled throughout the organization during his entire tenure. "It was always, �A couple thousand dollars is missing�," said Harrison, who added that the issue was mentioned in staff meetings. Cronin denied the allegations. "That�s just blatantly not true," he said. "From my point of view, the awareness was not made until March or April." If it were true, however, at least one prominent YMCA board member said the matter would require further scrutiny. "If there�s been a long-term problem, it needs a long-term investigation," said Jackson County Administrator Sue Slack, a board member for two years. "That would be true of any organization." Despite Harrison�s allegations, Cronin said neither he nor YMCA board members planned to review records further to identify or prosecute potential thieves. "More information could change that opinion," he added. Cronin said information from an audit completed by Moss Adams of Medford and the advice of board members Eric Mellgren, Medford�s police chief, and Ross Davis, a local judge, indicated that a legal investigation would be both expensive and futile. "We have no proof that any one individual at this time stole any money from the YMCA,�� he said. "... We don�t know that we have an embezzlement problem. We know that we have a discrepancy in receipting." Cronin said he was concerned about the apparently missing money, even though from an auditor�s point of view, $7,000 is an acceptable loss from a $1.8 million budget. "If we lose $10, I�m concerned," Cronin said. With 4,500 community members, the Medford YMCA employs about 120 staff. About 25 current and former YMCA employees would have had access to the computer programs involved with the apparently missing money. Former YMCA executive director Karen Vezina, who left the agency in June after seven years, said last week that no one has talked with her about possible employee embezzlement. She declined specific comment about the issue. "I have to just say that I have the utmost respect for Mike (Cronin)," said Vezina, who now works for the state Justice Department. "I trust and admire him completely." Cronin declined to discuss why the agency has not filed a police report about the matter. He said the agency has reviewed procedures and tightened cash controls. "We�re comfortable that the problem isn�t there anymore and we�re ready to move on," he said. Board member Arnie Klott said the agency has to weigh the benefits and costs of investigating lost funds. "Yes, it does bother me a little bit because I go out asking for money for the YMCA every year," said Klott, a Medford business owner. "But if it was going to cost $15,000 to find out if $7,000 is missing, I don�t know if that�s right." Lt. Tim George, of the Medford Police Department, said informal discussions led him to believe the YMCA situation would be relatively easy for investigators to look into. "Usually we have no clue who our suspect is. Usually you start from way out," he said. "There are other businesses that have a wider span than this one does, that�s for sure." Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2000 Mail Tribune, Inc.