Ex-Disability Charity Executive Gets 2½ Years for $450,000 Fraud
March 12, 2014 | Read Time: 1 minute
The former vice president of a Wisconsin nonprofit serving people with mental disabilities was sentenced to 30 months in prison Tuesday for diverting nearly half a million dollars from the charity’s coffers, The Journal Times of Racine writes.
Prosecutors said Michael W. Lowstetter stole the money from Shepherds Ministries from 2009 to 2012 while serving as its vice president for finance. The Union Grove, Wisc.-based Christian organization provides housing and educational services for the intellectually disabled.
Mr. Lowstetter pleaded guilty to mail fraud in November. Authorities said he funneled some $453,000 in Shepherds Ministries funds, including donations and insurance reimbursements, into a secret bank account he established in the charity’s name and used the money to pay a variety of personal expenses and bills.
