Treasurer for Road District, Fire District Pleads Guilty to Embezzling $1.5 Million

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that the former treasurer of both the Wellington Napoleon Fire Protection District and Special Road District pleaded guilty in federal court today to a fraud scheme in which he embezzled more than $1.5 million from the two districts.

Leland Ray Kolkmeyer, 58, of Wellington, Mo., waived his right to a grand jury and pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Gary A. Fenner to a federal information that charges him with two counts of mail fraud.

Kolkmeyer was appointed as treasurer of the road district in 1996. Kolkmeyer was first elected treasurer of the fire district in 1997. He resigned from both positions on Feb. 25, 2013. The offices of both the fire district and the road district are located in Wellington.

Road District Fraud Scheme

Kolkmeyer admitted that he stole approximately $900,000 from the road district from August 1998 to Feb. 12, 2013. Kolkmeyer made checks payable from the road district’s bank account to himself and others for his own benefit without the knowledge, authorization or consent of the road district. The government alleges that Kolkmeyer fraudulently transferred $939,485 from the road district’s bank account to his own bank account or to pay bills on his behalf.

Kolkmeyer, in his position as treasurer of the road district, made false statements and material omissions to the Special Road District Board concerning the checks that were made payable to himself and to others on his behalf.

Fire District Fraud Scheme

Kolkmeyer also admitted that he stole more than $500,000 from the fire district from August 1998 to Feb. 17, 2013. The government alleges that Kolkmeyer fraudulently transferred $590,674 from the fire district bank accounts to his own bank account or to pay bills on his behalf.

Kolkmeyer, in his position as treasurer of the fire district, made false statements and material omissions to the Fire Protection District Board concerning the checks that were made payable to himself and to others on his behalf.

The federal information requires Kolkmeyer to forfeit to the government $1,530,159, which represents the total amount he embezzled from the two districts.

Under federal statutes, Kolkmeyer is subject to a sentence of up to 40 years in federal prison without parole, plus a fine up to $500,000 and an order of restitution. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul S. Becker. It was investigated by the FBI.