A former executive of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity has been charged in federal court with embezzling $3 million from the organization — which he allegedly used to fuel his gambling habit.
theGRIO previously reported, Curtis D. Anderson was fired in December 2018 after admitting to his fraudulent activities. Anderson served as a finance director at the fraternity’s international headquarters in Philadelphia for 20 years before the initial allegations surfaced.
Investigations from agencies including the FBI found that Anderson had been embezzling money for over a year. He cashed checks for almost $400,000 from the fraternity’s Santander bank account and at least $978,000 from the fraternity’s Wells Fargo account.
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In 2018, Santander reported 87 checks were cashed from the fraternity’s accounts between March through October, totaling $189,539. The checks, made payable to Anderson and third parties, were cashed at various Pennsylvania branches.
Suspicions arose when Santander Bank contacted John Burrell, the fraternity’s executive director about “suspicious activity.”
Once Burrell received the notice, he and Thomas Battles, the fraternity’s national president visited the bank to address the issues. While there, Anderson walked through the bank’s door, unaware the two would be there. According to investigators, both Burrell and Battles questioned Anderson about the checks that were written out to him and he allegedly cashed.
Anderson admitted to his illegal activities, revealing that he had a gambling and drinking problem. He reportedly spent most of the funds at Harrah’s Casino.
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“Embezzlement is theft, that’s the bottom line,” said U.S. Attorney William M. McSwain in a statement. “Anderson held a senior position of trust with his employer, and allegedly used that access to steal the identities of his colleagues and millions of dollars. My office will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to protect innocent organizations from being victimized by this type of fraud.”
Anderson was charged Wednesday on multiple counts including wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. He faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted.
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