A former executive director of the historic Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated and her husband admitted in court to embezzling more than $150,000 of the sorority’s funds.
Jeanine Henderson Arnett and her husband, Diallo Arnett pleaded guilty to federal bank fraud charges in separate hearings on Wednesday (April 28) and on April 20, The Washington Post reported.
Arnett was accused of misusing sorority monies for personal expenses between October 2017 and September 2019. According to The Post, the couple used the group’s funds on items and expenses from Amazon, Coach, T-Mobile, and other vendors.
The Loudoun County, Virginia couple agreed to repay Delta Sigma Theta back in full and both face a possible prison sentence of 15 to 21 months, though the range isn’t binding for US District Judge Randolph Moss who is scheduled to sentence them on August 3 of this year.
“Ms. Arnett publicly accepted full responsibility for her actions that resulted in the misuse of funds,” her attorney, Kevin McCants said in a statement. “She deeply regrets every bad decision made and remains committed to repaying the organization entirely.”
Her husband’s attorneys issued a similar statement, in saying he “accepted responsibility for his conduct and is eager to move forward.” “He is deeply regretful of his actions and any harm caused,” the attorneys added.
Arnett was expelled from the sorority following an internal investigation was discovered after she was fired for unrelated reasons.
“We have a zero-tolerance policy for these practices and remain committed to safeguarding the finances of our organization. We are grateful for the diligence of law enforcement in their investigation of this matter,” a statement from the sorority said.
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