HOA Treasurer Pinched, Accused Of Improperly Dipping Into Community's Till In $260K+ Ripoff Over Four Year Period

In Columbia, County, Georgia, WJBF-TV Channel 6 reports:

• Nestled neatly along a country road, the Stratford neighborhood is relatively quiet and peaceful. But, the news of an arrest in the case of stolen homeowners association money has punctured the typical silence.
  
  Neighbor Song Sparks says, "everybody let their guard down because over a number of times the community was thriving, the grass was being cut, everything was being done. We assumed the statements that we got looked pretty on paper."
  
  However, the ugly truth soon reared its head when the dollars and cents didn't add up. It turns out, Stratford Homeowners Association treasurer Laurie Wainwright-Vanover was suspected of taking more than $200,000 from the coffers.
  
  According to the police report, it happened over a four year period through credit cards and ATM transactions. Homeowner's Association president Tom Gorta says, "obviously, you have to be more vigilant than anything and what you take out of this is trust no one."

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• Laurie Wainwright-Vanover has been released on a $40,000 bond. [...] Deputies arrested Laurie Wainwright Vanover of Andover Court and charged her with Larceny - Theft By Taking (Felony/Misdemeanor), Financial Transaction Card Fraud, Computer Theft, and Theft By Conversion (Felony/Misdemeanor).
  
  Investigators say, Vanover is accused of stealing $267,663.08 from the Stratford Community Association between November 2008 and December 2012. 

For the story, see Treasurer Arrested, Accused Of Stealing HOA Money.