Former Chairman Of Louisville Episcopal Church Education Foundation And His Spouse Plead Guilty To Embezzling More Than $1.1 Million From The Charity

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The former chairman of the Woodcock Foundation and former owner of DBM-Dental Direct of Louisville pleaded guilty in United States District Court today, to a felony information charging the couple with interstate transportation of stolen property and money laundering totaling $1,141,030, from the Louisville Episcopal Church Education Foundation, announced David J. Hale, United States Attorney for the Western District of Kentucky.

Charles Muir, age 61, and Diana Muir, age 60, of Louisville, admitted in court today, that between April 2007 and June 2011, in Louisville, Kentucky, the couple unlawfully transferred or caused to be transferred in interstate commerce approximately $1,141,030 of funds that had been stolen or taken by fraud from the Woodcock Foundation. The funds were transferred from Your Community Bank in Louisville, Kentucky, to locations outside of Kentucky. The $1,141,030 was taken without authority from the Woodcock Foundation, a charitable trust providing college scholarships in the Louisville, Kentucky area. In addition the defendants conducted financial transactions involving the proceeds of the $1,141,030 by depositing checks from the Woodcock Foundation into the Your Community Trust bank account of DBM dental to disguise the nature of the transactions.

According to the terms of the plea agreement, Charles Muir and Diana Muir agreed to plead guilty to the felony information and at the time of sentencing, pay restitution to the Woodcock Foundation, in the amount of $1,141,030. At the time of sentencing, the United States will agree that a sentence of imprisonment of six months is the appropriate sentence in this case for defendant Diana Muir and a sentence of 46 months is the appropriate sentence in this case for defendant Charles Muir.

From April 2007 through June 2011, Charles Muir was the chairman of the Woodcock Foundation, a charitable organization associated with the Episcopal Church of Louisville, Kentucky. During the same timeframe, Diana Muir owned and controlled DBM.

The Louisville couple was initially charged by grand jury indictment that was unsealed on December 6, 2012, when they appeared before Magistrate Judge Dave Whalin in Louisville. They were released on a $25,000 bond and asked to not travel outside of the Western District of Kentucky.

Sentencing is scheduled before Senior District John G. Heyburn II, on October 23, 2014, in Louisville.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Bryan Calhoun and Jason Snyder, and was investigated by the United States Secret Service and the Criminal Investigation Division of the Internal Revenue Service.