One pattern that often repeats in fraud of any kind is “need,” rather, the need on the part of the fraudster to cover everything from basic bills to an extravagant lifestyle beyond their means. It seems that may be the case here.
Before making someone the treasurer of your organization, here’s a tip: Do a background check. That is the lesson being learned by one suburban group that claims that its recent treasurer stole thousands of dollars from the coffer.
The Main Line Newcomers Club has accused 41-year-old Wynnewood mom Keisha Parker of embezzling thousands from the group, which organizes social outings, book clubs, dinners and “foreign language chats” for residents of the Main Line and, as the name would suggest, reaches out to new residents to welcome them. The group raises money through member dues and activity fees. Although police are reportedly investigating the theft, no one has been arrested or charged.
Parker was the treasurer of the Main Line Newcomers Club from 2014 until earlier this month, when club president Kim O’Neill of Radnor says she discovered that funds were missing from the club bank accounts.
Philly mag mentioned a GoFundMe page which had disappeared in recent days, the cache of which we dug up. You can find that here.
Keisha Parker writes on the now-deleted page:
“Many high school seniors in Philadelphia do not have the oppourtunity to go to college. Not because they aren’t prepared but because they don’t have the money or resources to go. The Rising Stars program provides public school juniors and seniors with SAT prep, financial aid workshops, college fairs and college application essay help. We would love to go one step further and provide 100 students with the chance to actually visit schools on the East coast that they may be interested in.
Please help us in our goal to raise $250 per student as we have a matching donor willing to give us $1.50 for every dollar we raise.Thank you in advance for your help and support. The Rising Stars program and it’s operator The PA Youth Consortium for Financial Literacy are 501(c)3 approved and can send you a letter for your tax free contribution.”
It only raised $70 of its $25k goal, but no one seems to know what happened to it regardless.
An investigation into her activities at The Main Line Newcomers Club is ongoing.