Theft exposes vulnerability of nonprofits

Theft exposes vulnerability of nonprofits: "Theft exposes vulnerability of nonprofits
Her�n M�rquez Estrada, Star Tribune
October 4, 2004 SPIRIT1004


When Sheila Ann Lotz's co-workers at the Catholic Spirit learned that she allegedly stole more than $150,000 from the weekly newspaper, they were quick to forgive her.
'We see any wrong along these lines as sin,' said Bob Zyskowski, the religious newspaper's associate publisher. 'The flip side of that is that we are also able to forgive.'
But prosecutors with the Ramsey County attorney's office weren't so charitable.
They charged the paper's former business manager last month with theft in one of the largest financial scandals ever at the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, which owns the publication.
'What caught my attention was the amount,' said Cmdr. Kevin Casper of the St. Paul Police Department. 'I think in her heart she thought she was going to pay it back but the amount just got to be so large.'
Lotz, 56, of Roseville, did not return phone calls seeking comment.