Local non-profit’s financials spur sheriff’s investigation

Looking at a lot of data

The Gunnison County Sheriff’s Department is conducting an investigation of a former Crested Butte non-profit board member due to “banking irregularities” that were discovered last month.

 

 

Early in July some financial concerns were reported to have been noticed and an investigation began of Crested Butte Rotary Club treasurer Richard Bond.
Bond has since resigned from the Rotary as well as from the board of the Red Lady Coalition, and has taken an indefinite leave of absence from his position as executive director of the Crested Butte-Mt. Crested Butte Chamber of Commerce.
Community Banks of Colorado was served a search warrant to allow the investigators to examine bank records and transactions in early July. Gunnison County sheriff Rick Besecker confirmed that an active investigation was being conducted and Bond was a “person of interest” in the investigation. He would not comment further on the situation since the investigation was still ongoing but did say investigator Robert Summer was taking the lead in the inquiry.
“We are looking at a lot of data at the moment,” said Besecker.
“Our legal counsel has advised us not to speak to the situation given the ongoing investigation,” commented Rotary board member and spokesperson Kay Gentry. “We can’t talk about it.”
“We accepted Richard’s resignation from the board of the Red Lady Coalition,” confirmed coalition president Bill Ronai. “We can assure our donors that their generosity and our ability to continue our endeavors have not been compromised.”
Chamber of Commerce co-president Sara Morgan wrote in a statement, “It is important to note that there is no initial indication of wrongdoing with regard to the Chamber’s assets. The existence of the search warrant led the Chamber Board to meet and discuss the search warrant, and subsequently to meet with Mr. Bond, to gather further information. As a result of that meeting, it was determined that it was in the best interest of both Mr. Bond and the Chamber to take a leave of absence until such time as these matters are resolved.”
Besecker said the nature of the investigation and amount of data is adding to the time of the investigation. No charges have been filed in the investigation.

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