The former CEO of a Billings-based nonprofit was charged Tuesday in Yellowstone County District Court with embezzling between $25,000 and $100,000 from the agency for personal purchases, including furniture, designer clothing and lingerie.
Sheri Lynn Boelter, 53 of Billings, was charged with two felonies in connection with her time at New Day Inc.: embezzling property worth more than $10,000 and forgery as part of a scheme worth more than $1,500.
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New Day, which is also known as New Day Ranch Mental Health Center, provides counseling and treatment services for youth and adults struggling with mental health and addiction. The nonprofit, located at 1724 Lampman Dr., has worked with the underprivileged population since its founding in 1993.
According to charging documents filed by Yellowstone County Deputy Attorney Anna Sullivan, the board chairman of New Day, Jeff Berger, filed a complaint with Billings police in January concerning puchases allegedly made by Boelter on her company credit card that could not be tracked.
Berger told police that many of the purchases had no business purpose for New Day. They included Nicorette gum, a gaming computer, a bedroom set, beauty products, special Fairlife Core protein power drinks, a luxury Michael Kors bag, women’s designer clothing, and lingerie, according to charging documents.
Boelter left New Day in October 2024 after three years as CEO. Billings police interviewed New Day employees, who said they couldn't see a reason for the purchases. Police were also able to access Boelter's personal Amazon account on a New Day computer, which showed she had allegedly made many of the purchases, according to charging documents.
Officials at New Day are working to determine the exact amount of the purchases, but they told authorities the amount is well above $5,000 and likely between $25,000 and $100,000.
Billings police obtained a warrant to search Boelter's residence on April 8. According to charging documents, they seized multiple items in question, including: furniture in Boelter's daughter’s bedroom, including as a lingerie chest, a media console in the living room, a ninja pressure cooker, a Bissell CrossWave wet/dry vacuum, two Angie upholstered grey stripped armchairs, a front entrance bench/coatrack, hand massager, humidifiers, two pairs of black boots, a Nord Electro 73 note electric keyboard, and a projector.
Police also recovered a manila folder containing about 25 pages of research about "potential legal consequences" of financial mismanagement or embezzlement over $5,000 in Montana, according to charging documents. One document contained a section outlining a defense strategy, including a note to "prove furniture was shipped to sober living home, not the CEO's residence," according to charging documents.
Three New Day staffers also reviewed funding requests with their signatures and told police they had not signed the documents.
Boelter has not appeared in court to enter a plea.
Boelter has worked at several nonprofit and counseling organizations in the Billings area in the past two decades. In 2015, she was forced out as director of Tumbleweed Runaway Program after she was accused of exaggerating the area's teen homeless population, according to Last Best News, a former Billings-based online publication.
