A former executive director of the Lake Minnetonka Association pleaded guilty last week to stealing nearly $50,000 from two of the nonprofit’s bank accounts.

Melissa M. Waskiewicz, 42, of Minneapolis admitted to two counts of felony theft by swindle in excess of $5,000 on Jan. 11 in Hennepin County District Court. In exchange for her plea, seven additional counts of theft by swindle were dismissed.

According to charges filed last February, Waskiewicz wrote herself 45 unauthorized checks, ranging from $250 to as much as $3,000, from mid-December 2014 until August 2016. In total, the association lost more than $48,000. Association President Tom Frahm reported the thefts to authorities on Sept. 15, 2016, after an internal audit, the complaint said.

Waskiewicz’s sentencing and restitution hearing is scheduled for April 26.

The Lake Minnetonka Association, made up of lake homeowners and businesses, coordinates preservation and cleanup efforts around the lake. Eric Evenson was named the association’s new executive director last year.

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