Former Omaha teacher is not opposed to embezzlement of funds from the student press association

A former Omaha teacher has pleaded no contest in Douglas County District Court over the taking of $76,000 from the Nebraska High School Press Association.

Angela Wolfe, a journalism teacher at Burke High School, filed a complaint Thursday and was later found guilty of embezzlement over a five-year period. Prosecutors dismissed the charge of second-degree forgery, which is a felony.

Nebraska Department of Education standards require the revocation of teaching certificates for a variety of offenses, including felonies. Wolfe will be sentenced in November.

A Douglas County Sheriff’s Office investigator stated in an April arrest warrant that Wolfe was the association’s treasurer when the funds went missing. NHSPA is a nonprofit organization based at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

The investigator stated in the warrant that most of the unauthorized transactions occurred in Douglas County. Wolfe, 43, is the only person with a debit card for the account, he said.

Michelle Hassler, executive director of the NHSPA, began looking into the association’s finances in January. Hassler determined that about $76,000 was missing from the account, investigators said. Hassler said Wolfe was removed from her position after the discrepancies were discovered.

“Hassler ultimately determined that the (financial) reports provided by Wolfe were significantly redacted to show an inflated account balance and to remove references to unauthorized activity,” the investigator wrote.

One example of the changes occurred in the November 30, 2022 financial statements obtained by Hassler. The statement showed a balance of $24,840, when in fact there was only $1,777 in the account.

The unauthorized transactions include forged checks totaling $11,805 and debit card transactions totaling $21,736. The transactions involved a variety of goods and services, including cash withdrawals from ATMs, grocery stores, restaurants, veterinary bills, online purchases and subscriptions to streaming services.

The press association said in a statement that management had taken action to safeguard its financial viability. The mission of NHSPA, which has been operating for more than 90 years, is to support a close and caring community of Nebraska journalism educators.

The press association “plans to continue to offer uninterrupted activities and opportunities that benefit Nebraska journalism students and educators, including summer camps, fall conventions and publication criticism services.”

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