A former Omaha teacher was sentenced to probation for embezzling $76,000

A former Omaha teacher who pleaded no contest in Douglas County Circuit Court to receiving $76,000 from the Nebraska High School Press Association has been sentenced to probation.

Angela Wolfe, 43, a former journalism teacher at Burke High School, pleaded guilty and was found guilty of embezzlement over a five-year period. Prosecutors dismissed the charge of second-degree forgery, a felony, and Judge Lee Ann Rethelsdorf sentenced Wolfe to three years of probation.

The Omaha Public Schools District said earlier this year that Wolfe was no longer an employee. Nebraska Department of Education standards require revocation of a teaching certificate for a number of offenses, including felonies.

An investigator with the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office said in an April arrest warrant that Wolfe was the association’s treasurer when the funds disappeared. NHSPA is a nonprofit organization headquartered at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

The investigator indicated in the warrant that most of the unauthorized transactions occurred in Douglas County. Wolfe was the only person who had a debit card for the account, he said.

Michelle Hassler, who was NHSPA’s chief executive at the time, began looking into the association’s finances in January. According to the investigator, she found that about $76,000 was missing from the account. Wolfe was removed from her role after the discrepancies were discovered, Hassler said.

One example of the change occurred in the November 30, 2022, financial statements received by Hassler. The statement showed a balance of $24,840 when there was only $1,777 in the account.

The unauthorized transactions included $11,805 in counterfeit checks and $21,736 in debit card transactions. The transactions involved goods and services, including ATM withdrawals, grocery stores, restaurants, veterinary bills, online shopping and subscriptions to streaming services.

The press association said in a statement that the executive board has taken steps to ensure financial viability. NHSPA’s mission, which has been in place for more than 90 years, is to foster a close-knit and caring community of Nebraska journalism educators.