NORFOLK — The former treasurer of the Little Theatre of Norfolk was sentenced last week to nine months in jail after pleading guilty to stealing $27,000 from the nonprofit.
Christopher Bernhardt, 45, initially entered into a plea agreement last year in which he promised to pay the money back within two years in exchange for reduced misdemeanor charges, according to a statement issued Thursday by the Norfolk Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office. After Bernhardt failed to make any payments for several months, a judge found him guilty of the felony charges of embezzlement and writing a bad check, the statement said. Bernhardt also was convicted of failing to appear for not showing up for his preliminary hearing in April 2023.
Prosecutors didn’t name the nonprofit in their statement, but court records indicate it was the theater. Bernhardt served as treasurer from October 2020 to April 2022, the statement said. During that time, he wrote multiple checks to himself from the organization’s bank account, transferred funds from the account to his own and pocketed cash he was supposed to deposit, the statement said.
When Bernhardt was confronted by other officers of the organization, he confessed and promised to pay the money back, the statement said. He then wrote a check for $3,000 that bounced.
Because Bernhardt had no previous criminal history, state sentencing guidelines recommended probation. Prosecutors, however, argued he should spend time in jail. Circuit Judge Robert B. Rigney agreed and gave him the nine-month sentence. He also ordered Bernhardt to begin paying restitution after he’s released.
Jane Harper, jane.harper@pilotonline.com
Correction: An earlier version of this story misspelled the name of the Little Theatre’s and Bernhardt’s last name.
