A financial manager accused of pocketing more than $100,000 from the north metro charter school where he worked has been charged with theft, according to charges filed Friday.
Bernard Ivory Fox, 44, of Crystal, faces a single count of felony theft by swindle, according to charges filed this week in Anoka County District Court. Fox stands accused of pilfering $112,500 from his employer, the PACT Charter School, at 7250 E. Ramsey Pkwy. in the northwest suburb of Ramsey.
According to its website, PACT opened in 1994 with a focus on academic rigor, college preparation and character development. PACT, a K-12 school, stands for Parents Allied with Children and Teachers.
The complaint says that Fox, the school's human resources and finance manager, siphoned the money into his personal bank account in $6,250 increments on 18 occasions between Nov. 19, 2015, and Oct. 4, 2016, from a fund "intended to pay for a building lease," according to the complaint. The theft was discovered during an audit of the school's assets, which revealed that money to pay the lease was diverted to a personal account in Fox's name.
It wasn't immediately clear on Friday whether Fox was still employed with the school.
Fox, who was arrested Dec. 23, was released after posting $5,000 bail. He was assigned a public defender, who didn't immediately respond to an e-mail for comment on Friday afternoon.
An omnibus hearing is slated for Jan. 17. According to court filings, prosecutors intend to seek the maximum sentence allowed by law if Fox is convicted. The offense calls for a maximum of 20 years in prison and a $100,000 fine.
Fox had no major criminal offenses on his record. His LinkedIn page describes him as a "finance and tax professional." The page says he joined PACT charter school in September 2014. He lists the Sabathani Community Center of Minneapolis among his previous employers.
