Jury trial requested in embezzlement case

October 26, 2005|By PEPPER BALLARD

A jury trial was requested Tuesday in Washington County District Court on charges that former Funkstown Moose Lodge Administrator David Brandenburg embezzled more than $36,000 from the club over five months, court documents state.

Brandenburg, 52, of 13822 North Valley Drive in Hagerstown, was scheduled to have a trial before a District Court judge Tuesday, but he requested the case be sent to Circuit Court for a jury trial, Washington County State's Attorney Charles Strong said.

Brandenburg is charged with two counts each of felony theft, felony theft scheme and embezzlement in connection with $36,000 in missing membership dues from Funkstown Moose Lodge, according to charging documents

The money was taken between April 2002 and September 2002 when Brandenburg was administrator, police allege in court documents.

The Sheriff's Department alleges in charging documents that Brandenburg took membership dues - $40 for existing members and $60 for new members - from several applicants and issued them fake "temporary" membership cards, saying they would receive their "official" membership cards from Moose International shortly afterward, but those cards never came.

Funkstown Moose Lodge Administrator Mike Stumbaugh contacted police in January to report the missing money, which was called to his attention by Moose International. The international organization normally receives a portion of local membership dues, but had not received payments from the Funkstown lodge "for several years," documents state.

Brandenburg didn't report any membership information to Moose International, never sent them a share of either new membership money or current membership money during his time as administrator and never deposited any money into the Funkstown lodge's accounts reflecting membership payments, Investigator Christopher Weaver alleged in charging documents.

Records indicated $13,000 was missing in new membership dues and $18,600 was missing in current membership dues, documents allege.

Through the lodge's investigation, it was discovered that Brandenburg allegedly "had a computer program installed into the lodge's computer and was making fake membership cards and distributing them to the members when they paid their dues," documents state.

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