OLIVIA — After resigning from her position as Renville County auditor/treasurer, Lisa Renae Meints, 37, has been sentenced to three years of probation for stealing funds from a bank account set up to support a youth dance group.
In a court hearing on February 19, District Judge Keith Helgeson stayed the imposition of the sentence, placing Meints on probation for three years. As part of her sentence, she is required to complete 500 hours of community service and write an apology letter to the Olivia Area Outback Team. If she successfully completes her probation, the charge will be reduced to a misdemeanor conviction.
Meints, from Olivia, pleaded guilty to felony theft on December 5, admitting that she was one of two individuals with access to the Olivia Area Outback Team’s account. This account was designed to accept donations and fundraising proceeds for the Just for Kix dance group in Olivia.
According to the criminal complaint, Meints was accused of transferring approximately $4,690 from the dance account to her personal checking account between May and December 2023. Additionally, investigators found that Meints deposited donated funds into her personal Venmo account when her own account had insufficient funds. The investigation revealed that about $1,800 in fundraising dollars from the youth dancers ended up in her account during the same period.
Prosecutors have 30 days to file for restitution. Meints reportedly took out a loan in January 2024 to repay the stolen funds.
Meints was appointed as Renville County’s first-ever auditor/treasurer in January 2023 but resigned from her position on February 8, 2024.
In addition to Meints’ case, Renville County also charged Robyn Jean Condelli, 29, of Marshall, with theft in October 2024. According to the complaint, Condelli allegedly transferred $1,807 from the dance team account to cover outstanding debts owed to RaiseRight, a fundraising program using gift cards. Condelli has stated she intends to repay the funds but lacked the money to do so during her February 2024 meeting with investigators.
