OWOSSO, Mich. - — The Steam Railroading Institute, on Tuesday, announced the results of an audit and preliminary investigation.
It showed that a former employee embezzled approximately $200,000 from the organization over a nearly two-year period.
Mary Lombardo, former SRI Financial Director, used a variety of methods to steal the money from SRI by directing it through multiple PayPal accounts to her personal bank accounts, arranging sole responsibility for multiple credit cards and falsifying financial reports to cover up the discrepancies.
She used the funds to purchase gas, groceries, and many personal items for herself and her family in Michigan as well as other states, among other things.
SRI leadership first became aware of the issue at its July 2018 board meeting.
The investigation is now in the hands of Shiawassee County Prosecutor Deana Finnegan.
SRI is working with local authorities.
Lombardo has not yet been apprehended.
When police checked Lombardo's home, they reported that it looked like she "moved out."
“Obviously this is a sad day for all of us here at SRI. We had every reason to trust Mary. It’s a very unfortunate set of circumstances,” said Steam Railroading Institute Executive Director Kim Springsdorf.
“We’ll continue to work closely with the authorities to bring justice to this situation.”
New accounting practices have been put into place since last summer to ensure something similar doesn’t happen again, according to Springsdorf.
If you have any information regarding the suspect's whereabouts, you are asked to call police.
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