The Executive Director of the Verde Valley Homeless Coalition, Matthew Ryan Martin, has been arrested for embezzling from the organization.
According to the Cottonwood Police Department, at the beginning of September the Verde Valley Homeless Coalition reported discrepancies in their financial statements and suspected an employee was stealing money. It was reported to the Cottonwood Police Department and the suspected employee was placed on Administrative Leave.
The investigation revealed that the 48-year-old Martin of Cottonwood, embezzled approximately fourteen-thousand dollars between June and August of this year. Martin used a debit card for the Verde Valley Homeless Coalition that he was entrusted with to withdraw money from the account. Initially, the withdrawals were minimal but in August he withdrew twelve-thousand dollars.
On October 23, 2020 Martin was arrested and charged with fraudulent schemes & artifices, theft and fraudulent use of a credit card; all felonies. Martin was booked into the Yavapai County Detention Center.