Former Chamber Head Arrested

BENTONVILLE — The former head of the Centerton Area Chamber of Commerce was arrested earlier this month after board members accused him of stealing about $18,000 from the chamber and altering board meeting minutes to cover his tracks.

Michael Finke, 48, was booked into the Benton County Jail on May 5 in connection with theft of property and fraudulent use of a credit card. The Benton County Prosecutor’s Office hasn't filed formal charges, according to the Circuit Clerk’s Office.

At A Glance (w/logo)

The Case

Michael Finke is accused of making unauthorized purchases while head of the Centerton Area Chamber of Commerce. He was arrested May 5 and released on $7,500 bond the same day. He is set for arraignment in Circuit Judge Robin Green’s court on June 3.

Source: Staff Report

The prosecutor has 60 days to file charges but likely will file next week, staff said. Finke is set for an arraignment hearing June 3, according to his bond paperwork.

Members of the chamber’s board presented Centerton police with bank statements and receipts from January 2011 to August showing charges totaling $18,125 in what staff believed were personal expenses, according to a probable cause affidavit. The charges ranged from $20 in August to $2,997 in December 2011.

Detectives reviewed hundreds of receipts for fast food purchases, groceries, car washes, gasoline, dry cleaning and pizza delivery to Finke’s home, the affidavit reads. Detective Cody Harper said his attention was caught by a receipt dated Aug. 13, 2011, that documented a payment to a Rogers AT&T store for a cell phone for Arleen Finke, Michael Finke’s wife.

Bank statements showed additional transactions for cell phone, cable and storage locker bill payments, the affidavit said.

Josh Bryant, Finke’s attorney, said he and his client remain adamant Finke didn't steal any money.

“There is more here than meets the eye,” Bryant said.

David Stevens told officers he requested receipts and bank statements when he became board treasurer in September. DCC Tax Service in Centerton had been in charge of reviewing finances since May 2012, but Stevens said the business “was unable to complete what was asked for them due to Finke not providing all needed documents.”

Prior to Stevens’ appointment, Finke was responsible for keeping track of financial statements, according to the affidavit.

Finke was chairman of the chamber from January 2011 but didn't begin receiving a salary until May 2012, according to the affidavit. Judy Patterson, chairwoman of the chamber prior to Finke, said Finke was brought in to help promote the chamber but wasn't compensated because he said he was collecting unemployment.

“It was also agreed that he would not receive a salary/pay check until he was able to bring in enough revenue to support the chamber and his salary without having side effects on the chamber,” the affidavit reads.

Finke contends he was given authority by the chamber board to pay personal expenses with chamber money in lieu of a salary. He presented prosecutors with minutes from a Dec. 11, 2010, meeting showing the board voted to allow him to “take personal expenses as he deems necessary once membership dues begin.”

Judy and Chuck Patterson, however, told Harper they believed the minutes had been altered. Harper and current board members went to Arvest Bank in Centerton and obtained a copy of minutes from the same meeting that were electronically scanned into storage Jan. 8, 2011.

The minutes read Finke presented a salary contract, but the board members tabled his pay and appointed Arleen Finke as interim secretary/treasurer. There's no reference to authorization for personal expenses, according to the affidavit.

P.J. Milstead, chairman of the chamber board, said Finke sent him an email Nov. 8 requesting $11,000 in debt accrued while he worked at the chamber be assigned to Finke.

Finke wrote to Milstead, “If you choose not to assign the debt, or release me from any legal action, then I shall be forced to take action on my end for non-payment of payroll, along with liable, threatening and slanderous statements that you continue to make in public.”

Milstead said Friday the chamber is making payments on the debt.

“We’re trying to pull out of it financially. It’s just going to take us some time,” he said. “We’re paying every dollar we can get our hands on. We’ll pay it all back.”

Board members have enacted measures to add oversight to financial transactions, Milstead said. All transactions required two signatures and must be approved by the board. The board also holds monthly meetings that include detailed financial information, he said.

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