A former veteran Skagit County Sheriff's deputy on Thursday pleaded not guilty in U.S. District Court to five counts of wire fraud, accused by a grand jury of embezzling thousands of dollars from a K-9 nonprofit where he worked as a volunteer.
Brian E. Lehr was indicted by a federal grand jury earlier this month after an investigation found evidence that between 2010 and 2015, he allegedly kept more than $35,000 while volunteering as treasurer for the Pacific Northwest Police Detection Dog Association (PNWK9), a K-9 training nonprofit whose members are "dedicated toward enhancing the professionalism and training of detection dog handlers" in the Pacific Northwest.
Indictment alleges Lehr lied about PNWK9 account balances and used the money from conference fees and the sales of memorabilia for his personal use. Financial statements made available to the organization's members claimed profits of more than $41,000 after expenses between 2010 and 2013. In reality, according to federal prosecutors, the operation was left with $276 by the end of that period.
The indictment alleges that he used the association bank account to buy concert and event tickets and pay personal credit-card and cable TV bills. He also made personal purchases using the association's account at Costco, Walmart and Target, according to the charges.
Lehr appeared before U.S. District Judge John C. Coughenour, who set trial for Oct. 15, 2018. Lehr appeared by summons and was released on bond, according to the court docket.
Lehr had worked at the Skagit County Sheriff's Office for 25 years before he was terminated in 2016 when he came under investigation by the FBI, according to news reports. Lehr had been the treasurer of PNWK9 since 1998.
The Skagit Valley Herald reported the King County Sheriff's Office Deputy that replaced Lehr as treasurer in 2015 became suspicious of Lehr when a laptop belonging to the organization showed no form of record-keeping and a draft of a suicide note.
His attorney, Sarah Perez of Bellevue, did not immediately return a message seeking comment.
