LOUISVILLE — An internal audit has determined that Judy Golliher, the former treasurer of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), took more money from the denomination than had first been detected when the PC(USA) fired her last summer for embezzlement.
The audit shows that, in addition to the $102,000 that a preliminary investigation showed was missing, $21,912 in unauthorized charges were run up on Golliher’s corporate credit card, and $8,925 that was disbursed from General Assembly bank accounts cannot be documented or reconciled.
So the investigation concluded that Golliher misappropriated $132,837 from the PC(USA), according to an Audit Committee report to the General Assembly Council Sept. 29.
Last summer, “When confronted, Ms. Golliher admitted to the embezzlement and her employment was terminated,” a PC(USA) news release states.
Barry Creech, a spokesman for the denomination, said that the evidence gathered in the audit has been turned over to the Jefferson County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s office in Kentucky for a possible criminal prosecution.
Golliher was named the PC(USA)’s corporate treasurer in February 2006 and also was its associate director for finance and accounting, making her the PC(USA)’s second-ranking financial officer at the time. Before that, she served for a year, from October 2004 to October 2005, as interim controller. She had previous professional experience in banking and real estate.
A previous news release said a background check was conducted before Golliher was hired — including a check for a criminal record and of her credit history — and “the background checks yielded no information that would suggest that the former treasurer was an employment risk.”
But the audit showed that Golliher diverted PC(USA) funds into her personal bank account, in the process of transferring funds from an old PC(USA) account in one bank to a newly-opened account in another bank. The diversions, totaling $102,000, were made in six transactions from October 2005 through May 2006, in amounts ranging from $8,500 to four $20,000 checks that were deposited into Golliher’s personal account.
Golliher also misused her corporate credit card in June 2006, the audit concluded, with a $19,879 cash advance and charges for personal use totaling $2,033.16.
The audit also determined that $8,925 could not be reconciled or documented from bank accounts used to provide gift cards and cash for per-diem payments.
The audit also states, “employees of the church observed Ms. Golliher shredding documents the evening prior to her termination date.”
The news release states that the denomination’s insurance, plus possible restitution, will cover the financial loss to the PC(USA) from Golliher’s actions.
