FORT WORTH, Texas — With its heart already heavy following this weekend's mass shooting at a Pittsburgh synagogue, the Jewish community in Fort Worth was dealt another blow this week.
According to federal court filings unveiled on Tuesday, nearly $1 million was stolen from The Jewish Federation of Fort Worth and Tarrant County by its longtime controller as part of a "fraudulent scheme."
"It's very painful. A million dollars," said Roger Nober, one of the nonprofit's board members.
Nober has been tasked with leading a special, internal committee looking into the missing money since an audit uncovered issues in April. It wasn't long before they were forced to alert the authorities.
"It involved forged checks and banks, so it was referred to the FBI and ultimately the U.S. Attorney," said Nober. "We're an organization that people give to because we do good."
The documents allege that Laurie Reese wrote more than 300 checks to herself over a five-year period starting in 2013 after she "forged" the signature of one executive, while also illegally using the signature stamp of another.
A man, who identified himself as Laurie's husband, declined to comment at the couple's home on Tuesday.
U.S. Attorney Spokeswoman Davilyn Waltson said the informational filing this week is what occurs instead of an indictment when a defendant agrees to not fight the charges.
She said a plea deal was in the works, and that a federal judge would then decide to sentence Reese on the bank fraud charge.
Nober said they started informing donors and longtime supporters of what they found about a month ago.
"It's very sad, but we've had a lot of support," he stressed. "We cover so much: elderly people, and folks with fewer resources. We purchase education materials for young people, and do camps for underprivileged people."
He said they believe the missing amount is actually more than $1.1 million stretching back to 2011, but that the statute of limitations only allows for a five-year time frame on the criminal investigation.
The Fort Worth chapter of the organization, which only houses a handful of full-time employees, said it's annual campaign usually pulls in close to a million dollars, with a "few hundred thousand" also coming in through other donations.
Nober stressed that strict guidelines are now in place to prevent future issues.