WASHINGTON, DC (WUSA) -- Potentially hundreds of thousands of dollars are missing from a non-profit that 9News Now and wusa9.com have worked with for decades -- we've even had members on the Board.
We've just learned the local chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Science voted to proceed with filing criminal charges against it's former treasurer after it found the money missing last November.
Just about everybody is familiar with the Emmys -- they're among the most prestigious awards in television.
Lots of local reporters and tv stations -- even the Washington Post and the Washington Redskins -- pay hundreds of dollars a piece every year for each entry and for in membership dues.
It adds up. And now it looks like a whole lot of that money has gone missing: perhaps as much as half a million dollars.
The regional Emmy Board has voted to proceed with filing criminal charges against it's former Treasurer and Trustee, a former Fox 5 accountant named Mike Cephas. But an attorney for the board says he has yet to actually file the charges, or to contact the FBI or local authorities.
The allegation is that Cephas took somewhere between $250-thousand dollars and and $500-thousand in NATAS money. Cephas did not answer the door Friday at his Silver Spring apartment. His lawyer declined to comment.
We've heard plenty of stories about how he spent the money, but we don't have any of them confirmed.
But documents obtained by 9News Now suggest that Cephas has agreed to repay the Emmys $277-thousand.
The regional NATAS chapter is just out with a statement insisting the missing money will have NO impact on it's annual events, including the big black tie Regional Emmy Awards.
It insists there is new leadership of the chapter.
But the news release and the designated spokeswoman have left out many of the key questions: like how 100s of thousands of dollars could disappear before anyone noticed.
WUSA, Channels 4, 5 and 7, as well as The Washington Redskins and stations in Baltimore and Richmond have members on the board. Our station representative resigned from the NATAS board to protest this incident.
Written and Reported by Bruce Leshan
9News Now & wusa9.com