The former president of the Wake Forest Chamber who is charged with embezzlement, faced similar allegations when working at the YMCA of the Triangle. 

Elizabeth Simpers, 49, faces four charges of embezzlement related to her time at the Wake Forest Chamber, police said.

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The town announced Simpers' arrest on Thursday, saying it came after an investigation of more than a year. She was being held under a $100,000 unsecured bond until being bonded out as of Friday morning. 

According to court documents, Simpers is accused of "fraudulently, misapplying and covert" use of more than $69,000 meant for the Wake Forest Chamber of Commerce for various personal expenses, including more than $65,000 for the following:

  • Party bus rental
    • Orthopedic services
      • Professional photographs
        • Residential plumbing repairs
          • Various retail items from Amazon

            Court documents also accuse Simpers of taking more than $3,000 for plumbing and tree services and "hardscape and masonry work" at her home.

            Simpers resigned from the Chamber in 2024. She had been a member of the Wake Forest Board of Commissioners before taking on the Chamber leadership role.

            WRAL asked current Chamber President Jim Thompson why the organization didn't do anything sooner to bring the issue to the attention of authorities.

            "Honestly, you know, I just started the chamber four months ago, so I can't really speak to what happened," Thompson said.

            Simpers had her first court appearance on Friday afternoon. WRAL asked for comment on the charges but Simpers declined to answer. 

            Mayor aware of allegations in 2024

            In a Facebook message sent in July 2024, Mayor Vivian Jones acknowledged a Wake Forest Gazette article that first reported the alleged details surrounding Simpers' resignation. 

            Jones, in the post, wrote that since that article's publication, community members and local news outlets contacted the Town and the Wake Forest Police Department to inquire whether police would be investigating this crime, and if not, why. 

            Jones said that the police department at the time did not investigate the case because the Wake Forest Area Chamber of Commerce did not report itself as a "victim of a crime." 

            For police to launch an official investigation, Jones said that the department must be notified of a potential crime by the victim and the victim must be willing to provide information needed to assist in proving the crime. 

            Jones continued to write that the purported victim, aka the Chamber, did not report anything to the police. As a result, the situation was strictly a Chamber of Commerce matter. 

            Jones did acknowledge that the allegations at the time were "disturbing and must be taken seriously." 

            As a result of those allegations, the Town began requiring the Chamber President or the Board of Directors Chair to attend a future Board of Commissioners meeting and describe any processes in place to safeguard not only the Town's contributions, but also the contributions of all chamber members. 


            "It is only through such transparency can we continue to ensure the public’s trust and confidence as responsible stewards of taxpayer dollars," Jones wrote.

            Previous accusations while at YMCA

            The Raleigh Police Department said there were previous allegations concerning Simper in March 2020, when a "representative from the YMCA contacted the crime reporting center to report allegations of embezzlement" involving Simpers.

            Detectives investigated and conducted interviews, but "upon conclusion of the investigation, the YMCA chose not to pursue criminal charges, and the case was cleared."

            Raleigh police said at this time there is no ongoing criminal investigation into Simpers.

            Simpers was the associate branch director for youth at the Kerr branch of the YMCA in Raleigh, according to a Facebook post from 2014. 

            A LinkedIn page appearing to belong to Simpers lists her as an associate branch director for YMCA of the Triangle from February 2010 to January 2020 at the Kerr branch. Among job duties and accomplishments it lists that she "partnered with donors and local sponsors to generate $600K+ through relationship-focused campaigns."

            Chamber says Simpers' actions caused harm

            The chamber released a statement on Thursday acknowledging Simpers' arrest. 

            "The impact of this situation has been deeply felt, not only within the Chamber but throughout the Wake Forest community. We recognize the frustration, confusion, and concern that many have experienced over the past year. We are grateful for the unwavering support of our members, staff, board, and community partners, whose commitment has helped us navigate these challenging times. While this remains an ongoing legal matter, Chamber leadership will not comment further on that matter. However, we want it to be clear: Ms. Simpers’ actions caused harm to the Chamber and placed the organization in a precarious position," the chamber said. 

            The chamber noted that on April 1 nonprofit executive Jim Thompson took over as president. Within weeks, the board adopted a comprehensive financial controls policy manual to safeguard against future misconduct and enhance transparency, the chamber said. 

            "There just wasn't a lot of transparency, you know, and I think that's one of the things that we're doing, is just kind of restoring that transparency," Thompson told WRAL "It was paramount to me to go before the town and let them know that...we have restored... accountability and transparency through our financial controls document."