HOLLYWOOD, Fla. – A former PTA president is facing grand theft and forgery charges for stealing more than $1,000 from the Hollywood Hills Elementary PTA, police said.
Kelly Medrano, 45, was arrested April 4 after an investigation into claims that she had been stealing from the PTA during the 2013-14 school year.
Medrano spoke to Local 10 News investigative reporter Jeff Weinsier on Monday and denied the allegations against her.
"It's an allegation. There is no truth to it," Medrano said.
According to an arrest report, Medrano volunteered as PTA president during the 2013-14 school year.
Detectives said Medrano used her position to steal money from the PTA and sign three bad checks from her Bank of America accounts, which either did not have sufficient funds or were closed at the time she wrote the checks.
According to the report, two of the checks, for $600 and $180, were for a bowling fundraising event and were written on an account that did not have sufficient funds. A third check for $500 was made out to the PTA for an unknown reason on an account that had already been closed.
Police said Medrano made two unauthorized cash withdrawals from the PTA's Regions Bank account for $500 on March 20, 2014, and $600 on April 18, 2014.
"I did not steal any money from the school, and it is two-and-a-half years, and they waited this long to do it," Medrano told Weinsier.
Detectives said they were notified about the suspicious activity by the PTA president for the 2014-15 school year.
"I did not steal any money from them," Medrano said. "I have been at a different school. I took my kids out of there because of harassment from individuals at that school and moved to a different school, and they said that they were going to come after me, and they did."
Police said the president who succeeded Medrano had numerous other concerns about poor fundraising and cash accounting during Medrano's tenure as PTA president.
Another woman, Nicole Sperduto, was also named a suspect in the case, but authorities said that based on Sperduto's explanation about fundraising results, they decided to "hold off (on) pursuing criminal charges against her at this time," the report said.
According to the report, Medrano provided a sworn statement on Aug. 24, 2015, acknowledging that the fundraising programs did not perform well.
Detectives said Medrano placed the blame for the lack of accountability on other people, but admitted to writing three bad checks and making the two cash withdrawals from the PTA's bank account.
Detectives said Medrano claimed that she could provide documents to explain her actions within two weeks, but they said she has not yet provided any evidence to explain her actions.
Medrano was arrested on charges of third-degree grand theft and uttering a forged instrument.