A Wayne Twp. man, who admitted stealing more than $700,000 from the Animal Friends Humane Society over several years while serving as a volunteer treasurer, will have to wait longer to find out his fate.
Jeremy Bruce Taylor, 48, of the 3900 block of Withrow Road, pleaded guilty last month in Butler County Common Pleas Court to aggravated theft, a third-degree felony. He was scheduled to be sentenced Monday before Judge Greg Stephens where he faced up to 36 months in jail.
But his sentencing was continued until 8:30 a.m. Aug. 15, according to court documents.
A CPA, Taylor diverted cash from the non-profit agency that cares for homeless animals to pay off his credit cards and make personal purchases between June 4, 2014 to March 26, 2021, according to Assistant Butler County Prosecutor Garrett Baker.
The amount stolen totaled $730,984.19, according to Baker.
In addition, Taylor used the organization’s credit cards to make purchases, including paying his cell phone bill and making purchases at Kings Island.
“I think it just become a source of funds for him,” Baker said, adding there were also a number of purchases to Rural King and other businesses for Taylor’s farm.
Taylor also wrote checks to a fictitious vendor and when the animal friends board asked for some bank financials, he provided with them with falsified statements, Baker said.
Taylor is free on his own recognizance until sentencing.
The Animal Friends Humane Society Board released a statement about Taylor. In part, it read that Taylor “had exploited the trust we placed in him and used his training as a CPA and knowledge of our financial processes to steal from this organization.”
In Other News
Watch Live:
