A former employee of local public television station WFWA, PBS-39, has been indicted on federal fraud charges. Gail Waymire is accused of embezzling more than $130,000.
In a statement, WFWA says investigators have asked them not to speak about the case while it’s still pending in court.
The culture of nonprofits can sometimes leave them susceptible to those who seek to take advantage of them, according to Dr. Leslie Lenkowsky. He’s a professor of philanthropic studies at IUPUI.
“There’s a lot of trust within the nonprofit world, and sometimes that can work against a reasonable amount of suspicion," says Lenkowsky. "Nonprofits tend to be very trusting, particularly of people who share their mission, but they probably ought to do a bit better job of verification.”
According to the indictment, Waymire allegedly stole the money over a three-year period, beginning in 2009.
WFWA says it remains financially stable, and that “all avenues of restitution will be sought.”