Chaska nonprofit's founder gets jail time for stealing $43K from organization

[Guest guest]

http://www.twincities.com/localnews/ci_17543226?nclick_check=1

Chaska nonprofit's founder gets jail time for stealing $43K from organization

He took $43K from group for his bills

By Nick Ferraro

nferraro@...

Updated: 03/04/2011 11:54:14 PM CST

Cortolezzis said he founded the nonprofit known as SAFER, or Search and

Find Emergency Responders, with the best intentions.

But there was no income for him and his family to live on, Cortolezzis said, and

" when push came to shove, this is where I ended up. "

On Friday, he stood in front of a Carver County District Court judge, who

sentenced Cortolezzis to 60 days in jail and ordered him to pay back the nearly

$43,000 he siphoned from the nonprofit's bank accounts between 2008 and 2010.

Cortolezzis, 36, of Watertown, has repaid more than $15,000 to the organization,

according to the Dakota County attorney's office, which handled the case because

of Cortolezzis' ties to law enforcement in Carver County.

Cortolezzis was the executive director of SAFER, which supplies people who have

autism or Alzheimer's disease with tracking devices in case they wander. He

founded the Chaska nonprofit in July 2008 with two full-time deputies from the

Carver County sheriff's office.

" This jail term for this breach of trust and theft of funds intended to benefit

persons with disabilities was clearly warranted, " Dakota County Attorney

Backstrom said.

Last March, SAFER's board of directors learned Cortolezzis had been taking money

from the nonprofit's accounts for his own use, including debit charges at Target

stores and tanning salons, according to the criminal complaint. He allegedly

admitted to using the group's funds to pay his mortgage.

Cortolezzis pleaded guilty to four counts of felony theft in December. In

exchange for the guilty plea, prosecutors dismissed four counts of theft by

swindle.

Reached after Friday's sentencing, Cortolezzis said he started the nonprofit

after his son, who has autism, wandered away and became lost. He said he " feels

terrible " for those who bought into the nonprofit, including the 25 families and

15 law enforcement agencies that purchased tracking equipment.

" Words are not even enough to say how sorry I am, " said Cortolezzis, who must

report to Carver County Jail on Friday.

He said that he wasn't receiving a salary and that bills began piling up in his

personal life.

" Everything was in my name, and I figured, eventually, it was something that I

could just pay back, " he said. " But it just snowballed. It was one bill after

another bill after another, and it was too much. "

Zunker, a SAFER board member, said it's still hard for him to understand

why Cortolezzis stole the funds.

" I think the surprise is always going to be there, " Zunker said, " especially

when you look at the fact that he really started this for his son who has

special needs. "

All the nonprofit's clients knew Cortolezzis personally, Zunker said, " because

he signed them up. There was a trust level there. "

The nonprofit stopped signing up clients after the allegations came to light.

Zunker said Cortolezzis recently paid back the nearly $43,000 the court ordered

as restitution, and the board will meet next week to decide whether the

nonprofit will continue on or dissolve.

" was the driving force behind it, so we would need someone to step up that

could be an executive director, " he said. " The board is all volunteers. "

Court records show Cortolezzis has been sued at least 10 times in Minnesota

since 2001, something that he blamed on his " terrible business practices in the

past. "

Cortolezzis said he paid back the money to the nonprofit by borrowing from

friends and family. He said his wife recently left him and he's working as a

contractor for a Forest Lake business.

" I need to move on with my life and be the best dad I can be, and learn from my

mistakes, " he said.