Lawsuit says Catholic Charities accountant stole millions using invoices, credit cards – Catholic World Report

CNA Staff, May 29, 2025 / 14:42 pm (CNA).

A lawsuit filed in Wisconsin alleges that an employee of a Catholic Charities affiliate there stole millions of dollars as part of a yearslong scheme involving credit card fraud and fake invoices.

Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee said in the lawsuit, filed earlier this month in Wisconsin circuit court, that former employee Brandi Ellis “abused her authority and misappropriated millions of dollars” when serving in a variety of financial roles within the organization.

Ellis allegedly worked as an accountant, an accounting manager, and eventually as a finance manager at the charity, with her employment taking place from February 2014 to May 2024.

The suit alleges that Ellis paid “false invoices ostensibly reflecting work and/or services completed or provided by vendors” but which actually funneled money to vendors with “personal or professional connections” to Ellis.

The accountant also allegedly used corporate credit cards to make personal purchases.

The schemes each totaled “hundreds of thousands of dollars,” the suit alleges.

In addition to suing its ex-accountant, the charity is also suing the Madison, Wisconsin-based financial services firm Baker Tilly over allegedly failing to identify the fraudulent activity as part of auditing services it provided to the Catholic organization.

The firm should have recognized “goods and services that could not reasonably be in support of the plaintiff’s charitable mission,” the suit argues, including “Amazon Prime video rentals, Uber rides, Ticketmaster purchases, [and] casino purchases from MGM Grand.”

The accounting group “failed to recognize clearly fraudulent purchasing activity,” the suit alleges, and further relied on “internal documents generated by … Brandi Ellis” rather than independently verified third-party data.

The suit seeks damages from both Ellis and the accounting firm.