Ashlea Hoke Sanders, a 40-year-old Nederland woman, was indicted and arrested on Aug. 9 on a second-degree felony theft of service charge, accused of stealing $271,494.90 from a local small business.
According to the arrest affidavit, the Nederland Police Department (NPD) began their investigation Aug. 9, after receiving a report from Chad Rutty, owner of Rutty and Morris Air Conditioning. According to the complainant, on July 25, 2023, Rutty discovered 13 unauthorized charges on his company’s Gulf Credit Union account, totaling $28,250.82.
“We noticed unusual activity on an account we used for out-of-town jobs,” said Michelle Rutty, office manager and Chad’s wife. “A large transaction went through, and Chad, after discussing it with his former business partner, realized the job had been fully paid off two years ago.”
This prompted Chad to examine the company’s bank transactions more closely. Following an internal investigation by Gulf Credit Union’s Fraud Department, it was revealed that Sanders, an eight-year employee, had been using the account – intended for paying business expenses – to settle her personal credit card debts since 2019.
Upon subpoenaing Sanders’ credit card records, investigators found three active accounts: a Citi Bank credit card, a Tractor Supply credit card, and a Best Buy credit card. Sanders had been allegedly using Rutty and Morris’ funds to make payments on these accounts. Nederland Police Department reconciled 183 payments, dating back to Sept. 29, 2019, and continuing weekly until the fraud was discovered in July 2023, amounting to $271,494.90 in misappropriated funds.
“Let me tell you how heartbreaking it was,” said Michelle Rutty. “We treat our employees like family, and it was a complete shock … almost like a death in the family. We were devastated.”
Rutty said Sanders had been renovating her house and even starting a business at one point but, when caught in the theft, never showed back up to work.
An Examiner investigation into Sanders and her husband Michael’s financial affairs revealed that on June 13, 2023, a certificate of formation was filed with the Texas Secretary of State to establish Bullpen Sports Academy LLC with Managing Member 1 listed as Bree Renee Thibodeaux and Managing Member 2 as Ashlea H. Sanders, both of Nederland.
The next day, June 14, 2023, a certificate of formation was filed with the Texas Secretary of State to establish a nonprofit corporation by the name of Mid-County Baseball Organization with Michael Sanders, Ashlea’s husband, as the initial registered agent and listed as director alongside Christoffer J. Robinson and Thibodeaux.
Oct. 13, 2023, a Certificate of Correction was filed with the Texas Secretary of State to remove Ashlea Sanders as Managing Member 2 from Bullpen Sports Academy LLC and replace her with Robinson, of Port Neches.
Less than two months later, Dec. 11, 2023, Michael and Ashlea Sanders filed Chapter 7 bankruptcy with the Eastern District Court of Texas, and within, both Michael and Ashlea stated under penalty of perjury that they had not owned a business, were not a member of an LLC, and were not an officer, director or managing executive of a corporation within 4 years before filing bankruptcy.
The Sanderses disclosed $101,839 in unsecured debt on the Chapter 7 filing, as well as employment that includes Michael’s 18-year career with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, where he is a maintenance supervisor, and Martin Transportation, where the accused thief began as administrative assistant in November 2023.
According to part 12 of the bankruptcy filing and 18 U.S.C 152, 1341, 1519, and 3571, making a false statement, concealing property or obtaining money or property by fraud in connection with a bankruptcy case can result in fines up to $250,000 and/or imprisonment for up to 20 years. No federal charges had been filed against Ashlea or Michael Sanders, as of press time.
Following Ashlea Sanders’ Aug. 7 indictment by a Jefferson County grand jury, she was arrested on Aug. 9 and spent 124 minutes in the Jefferson County Jail before being released on a $15,000 bond.