The former treasurer of Friends of the Conservatory at Volunteer Park is now charged with theft for stealing $86,000. Friends of the Conservatory reported the embezzlement in 2012.
They sued Daniel Celler in civil court, but say he never showed. Now prosecutors have charged him with nine counts of second-degree theft. According to charging documents, Celler stole $86,988 and spent it on Zip cars, groceries, eating out and adult entertainment.
KIRO-7 took the charging documents to the Conservatory on Tuesday. Executive Director Anthonio Pettit hadn't heard charges were filed. He expressed relief. "I'm anxious to have closure," said Pettit. He says Celler was an accountant and volunteered at the nonprofit for a couple years.
In 2012, Pettit says Celler became harder to contact, less forthcoming when asked about expenses. Pettit says Friends of the Conservatory almost had to shut down due to the theft. The operating budget for the entire year was $100,000.
We went through 17 pages of expenditures in the court documents. Pettit thinks there could be even more. They have a new treasurer and have added more checks and balances.
Celler is set to be arraigned on theft charges at 8:30 a.m. Thursday at the King County Court House. Pettit thinks Celler left the state.
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