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<TABLE class=AssocContent cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 align=right border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=AssocContentTD vAlign=top>Related To Story
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>Woman Accused Of Stealing $300K From HOA For Gambling
Affidavit: Chmelka Called Gambling A 'Stress Release,' Used ATM Money For Pyschotherapy
Alan Gathright, 7NEWS Content Producer
POSTED: 5:45 pm MST November 23, 2009
UPDATED: 7:12 pm MST November 23, 2009
<!--startindex-->DENVER -- A manager of a Cherry Creek luxury condo-owners association has been charged with stealing $308,000 from the group's bank account and using thousands in ATM withdrawals to gamble at Black Hawk casinos.
An official for the Portico Homeowners Association was alerted in June by a US Bank representative that the condominium group's account had been emptied by "unusually large ATM withdrawals and debits, many withdrawals taking place in Black Hawk, Colorado," home to several gambling casinos, according to court records.
Tamara Jane Chmelka, 49, who managed the condo association's daily finances for five years, turned herself in to Loveland police Friday after Denver district attorney investigators told her they had a warrant for her arrest.
She is charged with 15 felonies, including several counts for theft of $20,000 or more, forgery for $15,000 or more and computer crime. Chmelka was released Friday on $50,000 bond.
When condo association officials confronted Chmelka about the missing funds on June 2, she told them she had mistakenly used the HOA's "ATM/debit card instead of her own card to withdraw cash for gambling at casinos in Black Hawk ... and to pay for psychotherapy," according to DA Investigator Teresa Wertsch's sworn statement supporting the arrest warrant for Chmelka.
The finance manager said she hadn't noticed "the mistake" because she had not opened the HOA's bank statements or her own personal statements for March or April.
She told the HOA's former treasurer that "she enjoyed gambling as a stress release," according to the arrest affidavit.
In her arrest mugshot, Chmelka is wearing a lucky golden horseshoe necklace
HOA bank records showed that between March 16 and May 28, nearly $19,000 in cash withdrawals had been made at ATM machines at Ameristar Casino, Canyon Casino and Riviera Casino -- all located in Black Hawk. An additional $628 was withdrawn via debit purchases or related bank fees.
On June 1, "someone attempted to make further cash withdrawals, but was denied access to the account."
Chmelka repaid the HOA $19,405 from her personal bank account on June 4 and then e-mailed her resignation to board members the next day.
When 7NEWS asked Chmelka for comment Monday she declined to talk and hung up the phone.
An internal audit by the HOA alleged that between December 2004 and June 2009 "Chmelka had been embezzling from Portico (through) various schemes," according to the arrest affidavit.
Accusations against Chmelka include: issuing herself duplicate payroll checks, bonus checks and "vendor" checks totaling $195,530; boosting her salary by more than $29,000; padding her vacation pay by $5,312; making $19,615 in ATM withdrawals from an HOA account; and using HOA checks and electronic transfers to pay for $15,713 in personal credit cards charges, according to the arrest affidavit.
While the manager was responsible for the condo association's daily bookkeeping, bill paying, purchasing and payroll, she wasn't authorized to write checks on Portico's two bank accounts, according to court records.
"Unknown to Portico, Chmelka had an ATM/debit card linked to Portico's primary US Bank account," the arrest affidavit said.
DA investigators seeking to trace the missing funds have obtained search warrants for Chmelka's bank account and the HOA's American Express account. <!--stopindex-->
<TABLE class=AssocContent cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 align=right border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=AssocContentTD vAlign=top>Related To Story
<TABLE class=clkImgTbl cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=240 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top>
Tamara Chmelka is accused of stealing $312,000 from the Portico Homeowners Association.
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
Tamara Chmelka is accused of stealing $312,000 from the Portico Homeowners Association.
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>Woman Accused Of Stealing $300K From HOA For Gambling
Affidavit: Chmelka Called Gambling A 'Stress Release,' Used ATM Money For Pyschotherapy
Alan Gathright, 7NEWS Content Producer
POSTED: 5:45 pm MST November 23, 2009
UPDATED: 7:12 pm MST November 23, 2009
<!--startindex-->DENVER -- A manager of a Cherry Creek luxury condo-owners association has been charged with stealing $308,000 from the group's bank account and using thousands in ATM withdrawals to gamble at Black Hawk casinos.
An official for the Portico Homeowners Association was alerted in June by a US Bank representative that the condominium group's account had been emptied by "unusually large ATM withdrawals and debits, many withdrawals taking place in Black Hawk, Colorado," home to several gambling casinos, according to court records.
Tamara Jane Chmelka, 49, who managed the condo association's daily finances for five years, turned herself in to Loveland police Friday after Denver district attorney investigators told her they had a warrant for her arrest.
She is charged with 15 felonies, including several counts for theft of $20,000 or more, forgery for $15,000 or more and computer crime. Chmelka was released Friday on $50,000 bond.
When condo association officials confronted Chmelka about the missing funds on June 2, she told them she had mistakenly used the HOA's "ATM/debit card instead of her own card to withdraw cash for gambling at casinos in Black Hawk ... and to pay for psychotherapy," according to DA Investigator Teresa Wertsch's sworn statement supporting the arrest warrant for Chmelka.
The finance manager said she hadn't noticed "the mistake" because she had not opened the HOA's bank statements or her own personal statements for March or April.
She told the HOA's former treasurer that "she enjoyed gambling as a stress release," according to the arrest affidavit.
In her arrest mugshot, Chmelka is wearing a lucky golden horseshoe necklace
HOA bank records showed that between March 16 and May 28, nearly $19,000 in cash withdrawals had been made at ATM machines at Ameristar Casino, Canyon Casino and Riviera Casino -- all located in Black Hawk. An additional $628 was withdrawn via debit purchases or related bank fees.
On June 1, "someone attempted to make further cash withdrawals, but was denied access to the account."
Chmelka repaid the HOA $19,405 from her personal bank account on June 4 and then e-mailed her resignation to board members the next day.
When 7NEWS asked Chmelka for comment Monday she declined to talk and hung up the phone.
An internal audit by the HOA alleged that between December 2004 and June 2009 "Chmelka had been embezzling from Portico (through) various schemes," according to the arrest affidavit.
Accusations against Chmelka include: issuing herself duplicate payroll checks, bonus checks and "vendor" checks totaling $195,530; boosting her salary by more than $29,000; padding her vacation pay by $5,312; making $19,615 in ATM withdrawals from an HOA account; and using HOA checks and electronic transfers to pay for $15,713 in personal credit cards charges, according to the arrest affidavit.
While the manager was responsible for the condo association's daily bookkeeping, bill paying, purchasing and payroll, she wasn't authorized to write checks on Portico's two bank accounts, according to court records.
"Unknown to Portico, Chmelka had an ATM/debit card linked to Portico's primary US Bank account," the arrest affidavit said.
DA investigators seeking to trace the missing funds have obtained search warrants for Chmelka's bank account and the HOA's American Express account. <!--stopindex-->
