Former finance and HR manager Joelle Fouse was sentenced to 40 months in federal prison and ordered to repay $690,902 for embezzling nearly $700,000 from Promise Community Homes — a charity serving adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities — through unauthorized payroll deposits, expense reimbursements, and credit card charges over more than a decade.

Promise Community Homes — Finance Manager Embezzlement (2012–2023)

Outcome: Joelle Fouse, 58, former Manager/Director of Finance and Human Resources for Promise Community Homes, was sentenced to 40 months in federal prison and ordered to repay $690,902 for embezzling nearly $700,000 from the nonprofit over more than a decade through three parallel fraud channels.

Promise Community Homes (formerly Rainbow Village) is a St. Louis-area charity that provides housing and resources for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Fouse worked for the charity from October 2012 through December 2023, when she was terminated after her employer discovered the embezzlement and contacted federal authorities.

In her role as finance and HR manager, Fouse was responsible for payroll, expense reimbursement, and maintaining the charity's books and records — giving her unchecked control over three separate financial channels she exploited over eleven years.

First, Fouse caused 71 unauthorized payroll deposits totaling $139,810 to be made to her personal bank accounts. Second, she caused 181 unauthorized expense reimbursement payments totaling $407,186 to be deposited to her personal accounts. Third, she used the charity's credit card to make 184 unauthorized personal purchases totaling $133,210.

Fouse pleaded guilty in April 2025 to three felony counts of wire fraud. U.S. District Judge Rodney W. Sippel sentenced her to 40 months in prison and ordered full restitution of $690,902.

Primary Source: Former Charity Employee Sentenced to 40 Months in Prison for Stealing Nearly $700,000