Mary Lisa Sanchez of Emporia has been charged in Lyon County District Court with a total of 28 counts of theft and forgery involving funds owned by the EHS Wrestling Parents Group.
Assistant Lyon County Attorney Meghan K. Frisch filed the complaint on Aug. 4.
Restitution in the form of a money order for $5,000 reportedly was made by Sanchez on June 11, according to an affidavit filed in the case.
The first count in the complaint accuses Sanchez of obtaining or exerting unauthorized control over $1,161 in cash “with the intent to permanently deprive the owner ... EHS Wrestling Parents Group, of the possession, use or benefit of such property.”
The charge is a Level 9, Non-person felony involving funds greater than $1,000 but less than $25,000.
The other 14 counts of theft each involve sums that are less than $1,000 individually. All are Class A, non-person misdemeanors, according to information in the complaint.
Counts 15 through 28 all relate to alleged forgeries by Sanchez for checks on or cash withdrawals from the EHS Wrestling Parents Group’s bank account. The complaint states that Sanchez purported the transactions were made “with the authority of EHS Wrestling Parents Group who did not give such authority.”
According to an affidavit filed in the case, two representatives of the wrestling parents group reported the alleged embezzlements to the Emporia Police Department on June 10. They told police officer James A. Pritchard that Sanchez had helped the group’s treasurer with some of her responsibilities beginning in March of this year.
They reported that between that date and through May, three checks and nine cash withdrawals that were not for legitimate purposes had been made by Sanchez.
One week later, one of the women amended the earlier information and raised the number of allegedly unauthorized cash withdrawals to 11 from nine.
Some of the unauthorized checks allegedly written by Sanchez were to have been used to pay for items for the wrestling group but were filled out to obtain cash instead.
A check also was allegedly written to pay Sanchez’ Alltel phone bill, for $411, the affidavit stated.
Cash withdrawal amounts ranged from $120 to $1,161.
Pritchard estimated the total loss to the club at $4,881.
He wrote in the affidavit that he had talked to Sanchez on June 15 and that she had told him her husband had been injured on the job and was waiting for settlement money, and that she had been laid off from her job.
“Sanchez said she did not plan on keeping the money and had planned on paying it back as soon as the settlement money was received,” Pritchard wrote. “She said the wrestling season was over and she had planned on the money being replaced prior to the wrestling season starting up again.”
Sanchez is free on a $7,500 surety bond. Her first appearance in court will be on Aug. 18 at 12:45 p.m.
According to Lyon County District Court files, Sanchez previously had been charged with forgery and theft by deception, value less than $1,000, in a case involving renting a residence to college students. That case was filed on Sept. 13, 2006.
On Jan. 4, 2007, Sanchez pleaded no contest to an amended charge of attempted forgery. The charge alleging theft by deception was dismissed. She was placed on probation.
joejoe2 (anonymous) says...
I know for a fact that this family recieved that settlement for her husbands injury well over a year ago. Another lie.
August 13, 2009 at 1:45 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Confetti (anonymous) says...
This article is ambiguous about Sanchez' s role in the EHS Wrestling Parents Group. Was she an actual volunteer in the club or was she just aquatinted with some club members?
August 13, 2009 at 2:19 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
emporialifer (anonymous) says...
Regardless of settlement money, the money she took was not hers to borrow. Perhaps she should have thought about asking someone if she could borrow it. They probably would have said no, but that would have been the right way instead of just stealing it. It does not matter if she planned on paying the money back - she stole and she knows or should know that what she did was wrong. Time to stop making excuses.
August 13, 2009 at 2:21 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
madparent_2010 (anonymous) says...
Well I too am also a mother of an EHS Wrestler and I am very mad about what Mrs. Sanchez did with our money! You know these kids and us as parents worked hard to raise this money so that the wrestlers could have meals, wrestling equipment and places to stay for tournaments. For this woman to come in and take money from the club really makes me mad!!! She should be ashamed of herself! Especially now that the school year has just started and now her kids are going to have to hear and read about what their mother did! Did her husband have a clue? What did she do with the money? Is that how her son got to go to that nice camp this summer? I'm sorry but I think that she needs to be punished to the fullest extent. According to the paper this is not the first time that she has done this. If she hasn't learned her lesson once or twice I think maybe she needs to serve some jail time!
August 13, 2009 at 2:53 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Pollyanna (anonymous) says...
My hope is that their son is still welcomed into the program with open arms. It's not his fault that this happened in his family and I'd hate to see him take the brunt of this event. He's a bright up and coming wrestler with lots of potential. School and sports are stressful enough without added pressure from everyone else talking down about your family.
August 13, 2009 at 4:21 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
hartford (anonymous) says...
Well. madparent, you have every right to be upset. No one here has walked in her shoes. She made a mistake, and more than once, maybe this one will be the one that breaks her habit. Being in high school is bad enough when your parent(s) name is isn't in the news, I just hope her kids will get through this ok. Seeing them hurting would be punishment enough for me if I were judge. But I am not her judge, nor is anyone else regardless if you are on the wrestling team or not. I am sure the wrestlers won't do without. What she did with the money shouldn't be of any concern on how she gets sentenced. I guess I just don't hate this women like some are doing. Regardless what she spent the money on, she will have her time in court and they will prosecute her as they see fit. Madparent, I hope God will soften your heart and you can find forgivness for this lady.
August 13, 2009 at 4:29 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
hottopics (anonymous) says...
The kids are going to pay the price and that is really awful. Sometimes people make bad decisions when desperate to get by. We don't know what is really going on in the family. Not that it is right, just saying, we have all made bad choices. I would not want to be walking in their shoes. I hope that is the case anyhow.
August 13, 2009 at 8:22 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
positivethinker (anonymous) says...
This woman makes bad decision after bad decision and tells lie upon lie. She would like everyone to think that her husband was just injured on the job recently, while she was laid off, when the truth is he's been back to work for almost two years. She's playing the "poor me" card while sending her kids to the best sports camps she thinks she can find. Pitiful. We really have to feel sorry for the family. Especially the children.
August 13, 2009 at 8:56 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
seriouslyfolks (anonymous) says...
28 bad decisions does seem a bit high.
August 13, 2009 at 9:06 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
madparent_2010 (anonymous) says...
Well maybe I was harsh in saying how I felt about this situation but are we supposed to forgive her everytime she does this??? Hopefully the reality of being prosecuted and having an article on the front page of the newspaper will make her not want to do this again! I as a parent would never want to put my family through anything like that. So I will pray that she can get the help she needs to stop doing this!
August 13, 2009 at 9:08 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
hartford (anonymous) says...
Very well said madparent. I can undersatand your anger from your first posting though. I am glad you had time to look at it different. I am not familiar with too many parents or students of EHS, so I guess had I known her, and been involved with the wrestling group, or a wrestler, I probably would have shared your anger as well.
August 14, 2009 at 10:12 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
iamconcerned (anonymous) says...
What this woman did is no different then a thief coming into a house taking all the jewelry. Then once the jewelry was reported missing and found in their house and then saying, " Oh I thought it looked dirty so I was going to take it and have it cleaned for you. I promise I was going to bring it back."
August 14, 2009 at 5:59 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
madparent_2010 (anonymous) says...
I really hope Mary Lisa does change her ways and I will still pray for her but I think that she still does need to be held accountable for her actions. I also hope that she has no part in the wrestling program as a board member or anything I think she just can't be trusted. She makes excuses for her actions to try to make people feel sorry for her. I'm sorry but I know alot of people that have had it rough and they don't go out and take money that doesn't belong to them. Hopefully she takes the time to reflect on what she has done and try to right her wrongs!
August 15, 2009 at 1:44 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
thetruthandnothingless (anonymous) says...
Maybe aka Lisa Raber needs to come clean and hope she doesnt find soap on a rope waiting for her.
August 17, 2009 at 3:08 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
swkansas (anonymous) says...
This indvidual has been caught numerous times with her hand in the cookie jar and let go in southwest kansas too. Murphy Tractor & taylor Mart to name a few. Numerous hot checks unpaid. Moved from here for the same reason. It has not sunk in yet.
August 17, 2009 at 6:36 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )