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EUREKA, Mo. – A man is behind bars on charges of stealing tens of thousands of dollars in funds meant to support veterans groups in the St. Louis area.
The St. Louis County Prosecutor’s Office charged Brett Leary, 42, with one felony count of theft (over $750) in connection with the investigation.
Leary is accused of stealing more than $36,000 from the Gateway Warrior Foundation while he was vice president. Investigators said his father founded the organization in 2014 to provide service dogs and other resources to injured veterans.
Leary became vice president earlier this year “due to a realignment of the foundation’s leadership,” according to court documents obtained by FOX 2.
The Foundation kept the funds in a bank account at a Commerce Bank branch in Eureka, but that account was closed shortly after the change in leadership.
According to court documents, Leary was given full authority to open a new bank account in Eureka and conduct online transactions. He reportedly connected a debit card to the account and had checks sent to his home.
At some point this year, the foundation’s treasurer requested bank statements from the account. Bank statements revealed that Leary wrote several of her checks worth “several thousand dollars” to himself.
Investigators said Leary admitted to stealing funds from the organization and presented a check for $36,716.44 to cover the funds he allegedly misappropriated. Court documents state the check was bounced due to insufficient funds.
Leary turned himself in to Eureka police earlier this month and was charged on Dec. 21. A criminal arraignment was scheduled for January 29, 2024, according to Missouri court records.
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