NC married couple sentenced to prison for embezzling from high school booster club
A married couple was sent to prison on Monday for stealing over $200,000 in funds from the South Mecklenburg High School Athletic Booster Club in Charlotte.
The husband's sentence included him obtaining over $236,000 in COVID-19 relief funds to cover the theft.
The funds were intended for existing businesses harmed by the coronavirus pandemic. After receiving the loan proceeds, Anthony Sharper, 42, used the funds to pay for personal expenditures and to cover up the couple's theft from the Mecklenburg High School Athletic booster club, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Between 2017 and June 2020, Anthony Sharper and Deana Sharper planned a scheme to defraud and embezzle at least $239,000 from the high school's booster club by writing checks to themselves, wiring funds directly to their bank account and using the booster club's debit cards and credit cards to pay for personal expenditures.
Court documents also show that Anthony Sharper, a certified public accountant, also committed tax fraud by failing to report any embezzled funds on the couple's joint 2018 and 2019 tax returns.
Federal authorities said Anthony Sharper was sentenced to 30 months in prison, followed by two years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay out more than $310,000.
He previously pleaded guilty to wire fraud, making a false statement to a financial institution, engaging in monetary transactions in criminally derived property and tax fraud.
His wife, Deana Sharper, 47, was sentenced to 21 months in prison and two years of supervised release and ordered to pay more than $239,000. She pleaded guilty to wire fraud.
