Booster club treasurer stole $43K from Seminole High football team, deputies say
SEMINOLE — The former treasurer of the Seminole High School football team’s booster club was arrested Thursday after authorities discovered she stole thousands of dollars from the program, according to the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office.
Elise Minzer, 46, faces charges of scheme to defraud, deputies said. She is accused of stealing $43,000 from the booster club on a debit card while she was treasurer from Feb. 2019 to April of this year.
Deputies were first alerted to the thefts after checks written to vendors by the booster club started to bounce. An ensuing audit of the checking account revealed that $15,000 was missing and that Minzer was the only person with access to a debit card.
An investigation uncovered thousands of dollars charged to the card by Minzer, according to the Sheriff’s Office. This included over 100 unauthorized transactions on the card for airline tickets, liquor, car repairs, cable bills, monthly car payments and more, deputies said.
Among the allegedly fraudulent purchases were tickets to the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans. Deputies said photos on Facebook from the game confirmed that it was Minzer who made the purchase.
After her arrest, Minzer confessed to making unauthorized purchases, deputies said. She transferred $21,000 back into the account after complaints of bounced checks but he booster club still suffered a loss of roughly $22,000.
She was transported to the Pinellas County Jail, where she remained on Thursday night in lieu of a $5,000 bail.
