Maple Grove PTO Treasurer Stole $188K To Pay Bills: Police

MAPLE GROVE, MN — The former treasurer of the Parent Teacher Organization at Elm Creek Elementary School in Maple Grove has been accused of stealing $188,000 from the board.

Emily Rebecca McMullin, 43, of Osseo was charged last week with one felony count of theft by swindle. If convicted, she faces up to 20 years in prison and a $100,000 fine.

McMullin began working as PTO treasurer in 2016 and held the role until 2023, police said.

When the new board took over in August 2023, they received a letter from the PTO’s bank indicating that the account was over-drafted, according to investigators.

The new board subsequently held a meeting with McMullin, during which she admitted to the new board that she had been "borrowing" the PTO funds to "keep afloat" at home, the criminal complaint states.

McMullin apologized for her actions and said she wanted to "make it right," according to police.

After that meeting, the new board reported the incident to the police.

During the investigation, the former PTO president told police that she did not participate in the management of the PTO funds, and that she had completely trusted McMullin to to oversee the money.

The former president remembered seeing spreadsheets that McMullin prepared for meetings, and she said nothing appeared problematic, according to the criminal complaint.

The former president said it was difficult to get McMullin to provide documents or information, with McMullin often making excuses that she was busy or had accidentally used an old account, according to authorities.

Investigators cross-referenced PTO bank records with board activities and learned that McMullin's first unauthorized transaction took place in September 2016, less than two months after she assumed the role of treasurer, according to the criminal complaint.

McMullin spent $273 on a waste removal company, using the PTO debit card, according to investigators.

Over the years, the PTO debit card was used in hundreds of personal purchases, including childcare expenses, student loan payments, groceries, and takeout food purchases, police said.

The unauthorized transactions also included checks written out to McMullin and deposited into her personal bank account, the criminal complaint states.

McMullin then used that money for mortgage payments, bills, and other personal expenses, police said.

At various points, McMullin did make some "nominal" deposits from her personal bank account back to the PTO account, police said.