Two sisters booked last month on felony theft charges for reportedly taking thousands of dollars from the Sequatchie County Fair Association were spending the money on diet pills and fictitious purchases, investigators said.
Karen Marshall, the fair association president, and former fair association board treasurer Pamela Smith stole money from the organization by writing and cashing checks on fair accounts to buy things for themselves, according to a statement released Monday by the Tennessee Comptroller’s Office.
Comptroller’s office investigators determined that Marshall, 61, used two schemes to steal at least $2,000, officials said.
Investigators said Marshall wrote and cashed fair association checks totaling at least $1,355 and kept the money for her personal benefit. Marshall also used the association’s debit card to make 12 payments totaling at least $700 for diet pills.
Smith, 59, stole almost $5,200 from the fair association by writing and transacting at least 10 unauthorized checks, including checks to herself and to cash, officials said. Smith concealed her fraudulent actions by writing fictitious purposes on the memo line of the checks.