Theft from Green Bay golf club tees off investigation
greenbaypressgazette.com | 3/29/08 | Andy Nelesen
Federal and local authorities are investigating allegations of embezzlement at the Oneida Golf & Country Club of more than $1 million.
In a letter recently sent to club members, club President Bill Plummer said the theft took place over several years and "involves total sums well in excess of $1 million."
"The complete scope and breadth of the embezzlement scheme will not be known until the investigation has been completed," Plummer said, noting that the FBI is involved in the probe of the private golf course and country club at 209 Country Club Road, Green Bay.
Green Bay police Cmdr. Tom Molitor confirmed his agency has launched an investigation along with federal agents, but declined to provide specifics. Detectives have been involved in the case for weeks, he said, adding that it took time to establish the scope of the probe.
Ray Greco, special agent in charge of the FBI's office in Green Bay, declined to comment on the investigation. Molitor would not talk specifically about the FBI's involvement in the investigation, but said federal authorities are often included in probes "that have tentacles outside of a jurisdiction. They have a lot more assets at their disposal."
In his letter to club members, Plummer said a club employee earlier this month admitted to being involved in a "large-scale, multi-year embezzlement scheme."
Plummer said authorities have asked that club board members not share more details about the investigation.
"We will cooperate with any investigation, and I can't comment any further," said Troy Newport the club's general manager.
Plummer's letter said the club's March 2007 decision to hire Troon Golf as a management firm was an attempt to "remedy high expense-to-revenue ratios in clubhouse operations compared to those of similar type clubs across the country. "These seemingly unexplainably high expense ratios in some clubhouse operations categories led some board members to become suspicious that there may have been illegal activities occurring at our club. These suspicions were justified," Plummer wrote.