$279,805 allegedly stolen from senior citizens center

Contact:  Nikki Ploskonka 502-564-5525

FRANKFORT, Ky. (Sept. 12, 2006) – A woman charged with stealing nearly $280,000 in charitable gaming funds from a senior citizens center in Todd County has been apprehended in Tennessee and returned to Kentucky, the Office of Charitable Gaming (OCG) announced today.

Paula Marie Terrones was indicted by the Todd County grand jury in July on 131 counts of forgery in the second degree and 131 counts of theft by unlawful taking. Terrones was apprehended in Clarksville, Tenn., on Monday, Sept. 11. She waived extradition and is lodged in the jail in neighboring Christian County.

Terrones was bookkeeper for the Guthrie Senior Citizens Center. She allegedly deposited checks into her personal bank account that were originally made out to charitable gaming supply companies. The grand jury charged that Terrones had board members sign checks made out to the companies and then would substitute her own name as payee.  The alleged thefts occurred from July 2003 through September 2005. 

An audit requested by the Guthrie Senior Citizens Center found that a large sum of money was missing.  It is alleged that Terrones stole $279,805.

The Kentucky OCG is an agency of the Department of Public Protection in the Environmental and Public Protection Cabinet. The OCG was created to provide a regulatory framework allowing charitable gaming to thrive as a viable fundraising mechanism. The office helps to ensure the productivity of charitable gaming through appropriate regulation, oversight and education.