Jeremy Farmer Pleads Guilty To Stealing Thousands Of Dollars From Nonprofit Food Pantry

[Satanica]

http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2016/sep/28/jeremy-farmer-pleads-guilty-embezzlement-case/

Former Lawrence Mayor Jeremy Farmer pleaded guilty Wednesday in federal court in Topeka to one count of interstate transportation of stolen funds stemming from his time as leader of the Lawrence food bank Just Food.

Farmer, 33, had originally pleaded not guilty on Sept. 8 to the felony but changed his plea to guilty on Wednesday.

Neither he nor his attorney, John Cowles, would comment Wednesday on the case.

Farmer admitted to the court that the theft of thousands of dollars took place while he was executive director of the nonprofit Just Food, whose mission is to feed the hungry in Douglas County.

He was hired at Just Food in 2011 and resigned from that position — and from his seat on the Lawrence City Commission — in August 2015. His resignation came about after it was revealed he had not paid more than $50,000 in federal and state payroll taxes on behalf of Just Food.

At the time Farmer said the taxes were unpaid due to an oversight.

Farmer also admitted on Wednesday to changing Just Food’s financial documents to conceal his embezzlement.

Though the felony charge Farmer pleaded guilty to says that he stole more than $5,000, estimates from Just Food have placed that number closer to $55,000.

U.S. District Judge Carlos Murguia accepted Farmer’s plea and ordered the completion of a pre-sentence investigation.

Depending on Farmer’s criminal history, which will be a part of the pre-sentence investigation, he could face up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.

Murguia allowed Farmer to continue to be free on a bond of $5,000.

Sentencing will be set at a later date.
[....]
On Oct. 6 Just Food will host its Founder’s Dinner at Abe & Jake's Landing, 8 E. Sixth St., Keever said. There the pantry will celebrate its seventh anniversary, thank the community and offer information about future plans.

“Without the community’s support there might not have been a seventh anniversary,” she said.

Just Food client Jennifer Coffman, 55, had stronger words about Farmer Wednesday after hearing about his guilty plea.

“If I didn’t have Just Food, I wouldn’t eat the last two weeks of the month,” she said. “He took food out of people's mouths. People who need it. People who would starve without it.”

 

[bluewr]

from the looks of him, he might have taken more than just the money ;p

 

[Muriel Schwenck]

Maybe 10 years ago, an woman in her 80's who was considered an angel of her community was caught stealing food from a food bank. LOTS of food. She would have her whole family come in and raid the food bank for the best stuff whenever there was a new delivery.
She said the charity recipients were bums who did not appreciate or deserve it.
I think she was caught because so much would be missing soon after a delivery. Someone set up a camera and caught them. I looked for a newslink, but found nothing after all this time.

 

[Keepalowprofile]

Ass hole.