CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A former official with an anti-poverty group faces charges of embezzlement after taking more than $60,000 from the organization.
Chris Kimes, 38, of Charleston, is accused of taking the funds from West Virginia Healthy Kids and Families Coalition between July 2016 and December 2018. Kimes served as director of political affairs.
According to Charleston police, Kimes linked the organization’s credit card to a PayPal account controlled by his partner. Kimes made 83 unauthorized charges totaling $62,457.66.
The coalition said an internal investigation uncovered financial misappropriations and the employee responsible was immediately dismissed.
“Once we determined the scope of the theft, we began strengthening safeguards and internal controls and seeking additional outside supports,” executive director Jennifer Wells said. “We also reached out personally to our closest partners, funders and stakeholders to let them know what happened and that our organization will be able to recover with our work intact.”
Stephen Smith, who is currently running for governor, was the organization’s executive director during the alleged acts.