Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services (SMRLS) is in the business of giving free advice or representation to low-income people in 33 counties. When more than $60,000 is missing, it makes a dent.
Criminal complaints filed in Ramsey County District Court allege that a community worker for SMRLS, Tamara Nichole Collins, 36, of St. Paul, fraudulently issued checks to friends of hers from the SMRLS account. Her friends then cashed them and gave her half the money. The thefts, which happened between March 1, 2008, and Nov. 30, 2009, totaled $61,420.
Collins was charged by summons Monday with felony theft by swindle. Her boyfriend, Patrick D. Thomas, 28, along with Sean C. Adams, 39; Lahrone D. Allen, 39, and Nancy M. Carothers, 46, face the same charge. Marilyn D. Haywood-Ransom, 29, and Latasha Moore, 29, are charged with aiding and abetting theft by swindle. Thomas lives in Minneapolis; the others live in St. Paul.
Jessie Nicholson, SMRLS' chief executive officer, said the agency, which has an annual budget of about $8.5 million for its 10 offices, has been reimbursed for the thefts by its insurance company and has sent reimbursements to its funders.
Nicholson said Collins is no longer working at the agency.
The complaint gave this account:
Collins had money available to pay for security deposits and partial and full rent payments to keep clients from being homeless. She would fill out an application with the client's name, the landlord's name, address and Social Security number, and the amount of money needed. If the application was approved, a check would be written to the landlord.
The IRS notified SMRLS last October that the Social Security numbers submitted on federal tax forms did not match the person to whom the check was written. An investigation and audit allegedly showed that Collins issued checks to six phony landlords -- her friends.
