HELENA — A former Helena woman has been charged with more than a dozen felonies including embezzlement, theft by exploitation and making false claims to a public agency.
Susan Skinner, who court records say is also known as Susan Bannon the former Capital High cheer coach, is accused of taking cash rent payments from residents at Pheasant Glen Residences and not crediting the tenant accounts.
Charging documents filed June 13 say Skinner was hired as the property manager at Pheasant Glen in February 2015 and fired in February of this year once the suspected theft was uncovered.
There are 16 alleged victims ranging in age from 24 to 90 years old. Pheasant Glen is run by the Rocky Mountain Development Council and has a total of 87 units. It offers affordable one-bedroom homes for seniors and families. There are income qualifications for residents of Pheasant Glen and housing choice vouchers are accepted.
According to court documents, Skinner's duties included collecting rent from tenants and keeping the records for rent paid.
She is also accused of having applied for Montana Emergency Rental Assistance benefits for tenants in three of the units without their consent or knowledge.
Two of the applications were approved, resulting in more than $20,000 worth of rental assistance that court records say is believed to have been used to conceal the embezzlement. Individuals listed on the applications said they were unaware of them and were not associated with the emails listed on the forms.
In all, investigators believe the alleged fraud and theft exceeded $40,000.
MTN has reached out to RMDC for comment and will provide an update once we learn more.
Skinner left her coaching position with Capital High in March and has since moved out of state. She declined to comment when MTN contacted her.
