A former official of a St. Louis-based charity supporting adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities has pleaded guilty to embezzling nearly $690,000 over the course of more than a decade, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri announced on April 1, 2025.
Joelle Fouse, 57, admitted to three felony counts of wire fraud while serving as the charity’s manager and director of finance and human resources. In this role, Fouse was responsible for overseeing payroll, processing expense reimbursements, and maintaining the organization’s financial records.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s office, Fouse submitted fraudulent expense information to a third-party payroll processing company, resulting in 181 unauthorized payments totaling $407,186 into bank accounts controlled by her. Additionally, she provided falsified payroll data, which led to 71 more unauthorized payments, totaling $139,810.
Fouse’s fraudulent activities also led to the charity overpaying payroll taxes by approximately $10,694. Further, she used a company credit card for 184 unauthorized personal purchases totaling $133,210.
The stolen funds were used by Fouse to cover personal expenses, including rent, entertainment, clothing, meals, and travel for herself and family members.
Fouse was employed by the charity from October 2012 until her termination in December 2023, when the organization discovered the fraud and contacted federal authorities.
Each wire fraud charge carries a potential sentence of up to 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, or both. Fouse is scheduled for sentencing on July 10, 2025.
