A warrant has been issued for the arrest of the former manager of a Grand Forks off-road bicycle club who is accused of using the nonprofit's credit cards to rack up more than $27,000 in personal charges.
Ronald J. Martin, 49, was charged with one count of Class B felony theft Monday, when a warrant was issued for his arrest. He has yet to be detained. If convicted he could be sentenced to 10 years in prison.
Martin served as the manager for Red River BMX Racing from 2011 through April 2017, according to charging documents. In May, board members of the volunteer-run organization met with Grand Forks County Sheriff's Office investigators over concerns that Martin had been using the group's credit card for personal use. They brought him two checks totaling $385 made out from the organization to pay for youth baseball fees without authorization and a copy of an internal audit they'd done revealing he had used the credit card to amass $27,718 in personal charges.
Red River BMX started to get suspicious in the summer of 2016, when the Grand Forks Gun Club, which they share space with on Gateway Drive, asked about money owed for a utility bill, according to current track operator Wade Anderson.
Board members were flummoxed over the debt, Anderson said. Membership levels were solid. That's when they began to dig. Eventually, board members realized they hadn't seen a complete budget since about 2012. In April, they conducted an internal audit.
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"We got a hold of a former track operator who still had access to the account and pulled the statements and found out we had $157 left," Anderson said.
That discovery left the group reeling and almost caused them to shut down for the summer. Anderson said two board members stepped up and paid for the season's expenses out of pocket.
"We were fortunate to get racing at all this year," he said.
In interviews with investigators, Martin allegedly admitted to spending $27,718 on personal charges and writing checks without permission for youth baseball fees.
But members of Red River BMX say the total amount taken may be been much more. Anderson said the majority of membership fees and concession stand revenues brought in by the club are paid in cash. He fears the real total may be closer to $50,000.
"The things we could have done for the kids with that sort of money is maddening," Anderson said.
Red River BMX Racing has 83 registered members, Anderson said. The group hosts large races bringing in riders from all over the state and region.
Attempts to reach Martin were unsuccessful.
