Former Rotarian charged for allegedly misappropriating over $40k of clubs funds
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POCATELLO — In late June, the Pocatello Rotary Club announced a former member may have misappropriated club funds, and police were investigating. Now, a former Rotarian has been arrested in connection with the crime and is facing a dozen grand theft charges.
Court records show 41-year-old Katie Omundson was connected to the apparent embezzlement during the police investigation. She is charged with twelve felony counts of grand theft, and one count of felony aggregate value of series of thefts. She could face up to 182 years in prison.
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Here’s what the court documents say
In April, a report was filed through the PPD’s Online Crime Reporting System stating that on April 24, club members discovered ongoing fraud and alleged that Omundson was responsible.
Omundson was the club’s executive secretary, hired in 2022, and the club alleges she misappropriated funds since November 2022.
While investigating the report, an officer reviewed a series of cash withdrawals from the club’s Citizens Community Bank account. These withdrawals were signed by Omundson.
The officer noted that the withdrawals also occurred alongside deposits to the club’s account, but they were sporadic, with a few months between withdrawals. The withdrawals came from the club’s rainy-day fund, which the club stated should not have allowed regular withdrawals.
Because of the timing of the withdrawals, the officer believed they did not align with payroll disbursements or other legitimate reasons.
The document states that part of the executive secretary’s responsibilities included managing the club’s funds, but the board still had to authorize these withdrawals.
The club’s report stated that the board believed Omundson had misappropriated over $100,000 from the nonprofit. However, that number has since decreased. The officer noted 21 withdrawals from August 2023 to January 2025, ranging from $500 to more than $6,000.
The criminal complaint alleges that Omundson took $44,070.
EastIdahoNews.com reached out to Pocatello Rotary Club President Dennis Clijsters for comment, and he referred us to a June news release.
“People deserve a fair investigation and due process, and we intend to respect that principle,” Clijsters said in the news release. “Until the matter is clarified through proper investigation, we intend to do what we have always done – be of service to others, here in the community and around the world.”
EastIdahoNews.com reached out to Omundson’s attorney, Kyle May, for comment, but has not heard back at the time of publication.
Court dates
A summons was issued for Omundson, and a video arraignment was held on Sept. 25, during which she was charged with 12 felony counts of grand theft and felony grand theft by series of thefts.
Omundson is scheduled to appear for a preliminary hearing on Oct. 6 at 10:30 a.m. before Magistrate Judge Eric Hunn or Senior Judge Bryan Murray.
Although Omundson has been accused of a crime, that does not necessarily mean she committed it. Everyone is presumed innocent until proven guilty.