Columbia Schools CFO resigns; charged with financial crime in St. Louis Co.
UPDATE, 10 p.m.: ABC 17 News discoverd prior financial trouble Munson was involved in before and during her time at Columbia Public Schools.
Court records show Revelle Roofing Company took Munson to court in Sept. 2017 when she did not pay for work done at her St. Louis County home. The contract shows that Revelle worked on her roof in Dec. 2016, but never received the $9,205 owed for the work. A St. Louis County judge ordered Munson pay for the work, plus attorneys fees and court costs, in November – six months after CPS hired her as CFO.
Munson’s attorney in the new criminal case, Richard Lozano, told ABC 17 News he had no comment on the issue.
UPDATE 11:20 am: According to St. Louis court documents, Munson served as the treasurer for the Marquette Band Boosters at Marquette High School for several years.
When another treasurer took over Munson’s duties, it was discovered that numerous unauthorized withdrawals had been made from the Band Boosters bank account from October 2014 through August 2016.
Authorities said between April 4, 2015 and August 12, 2016 Munson made at least $17,500 in ATM withdrawals from the bank account, which there were no receipts or other documentation kept with the organization’s files and had written at least one check to herself.
Police said the investigation also revealed numerous purchases made with a credit/debit card linked to the school’s account which did not appear to be legitimate purchases on behalf of the organization.
Munson was later interviewed by police and claimed that several people had been responsible for handling the account.
ORIGINAL STORY: The chief financial officer for Columbia Public Schools has resigned.
A letter to the staff from the district’s superintendent, Dr. Peter Stiepleman, said Anna Munson turned in her letter of resignation but kept the reason for her departure private, citing “personal reasons.”
In late February, a felony warrant for Munson was issued in St. Louis County, where she was employed prior to starting with CPS last May.
Munson allegedly received stolen property on April 4, 2015.
The full letter from Stiepleman can be read below:
Earlier this morning, I accepted a letter of resignation from Anna Munson, our Chief Financial Officer. Anna is resigning for personal reasons. She has done a wonderful job for our district. We respect her privacy and wish her well.
With this news, I have asked Heather McArthur to serve as our interim CFO and oversee our Business Services department. Heather has many years of experience in our Business Services department and has been working closely with the CFO position over the last several years.
I will assume oversight of our Facilities and Construction, Technology, and Nutrition Services departments, and John White will work with Blake Tekotte and our Transportation department.
Thank you for your support, understanding, and flexibility. We will all work together to navigate these next several months.
Sincerely,
Peter
