Crime & Safety
Accused St. Matthew Embezzler Waives Preliminary Hearing
Oak Creek woman allegedly stole more than $200,000 from the parish.
A former St. Matthew secretary from the school waived a preliminary hearing Wednesday.
Darlene A. Vodvarka, 57, of Oak Creek, waived the hearing in Milwaukee County Circuit Court Wednesday and is now clear to stand trial on two counts of theft of more than $10,000. If convicted, she could face up to 20 years in prison and $50,000 in fines.
According to the criminal complaint:
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Administrators at discovered Vodvarka was manipulating records connected with a church fundraising program and tuition payments from families.
She was supposed to purchase $227,390 in merchant gift cards between 2004 and 2011, which could then be purchased by families.
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Police discovered Vodvarka took $69,000 from the fundraiser program between 2004 and 2008, and $148,000 between 2009 and 2011. Vodvarka denied taking money from the church when interviewed by police.
She's currently free on a $5,000 signature bond while awaiting trial. Vodvarka will appear again in court Feb. 3 for a scheduling conference.
