The president of a scholarship fund for caddies has been charged with embezzling nearly $700,000 from that fund.
Craig Maass was president of the Oakland Hills Caddie Scholarship Trust, which has awarded more than $1 million in scholarship money to young caddies over the last 40 years. The fund raises money through donations by members of Oakland Hills Country Club, near Detroit.
The Associated Press reports Maass is charged with embezzling $697,000, arrested and then arraigned on Jan. 31. He is charged with six counts of embezzlement over $100,000. If convicted on all counts, the 60-year-old faces up to 20 years in prison per charge and more than $2 million in fines.
After being arrested and charged, Maass asked a friend to bring $50,000 to Oakland County jail, where he was being held, in an effort to bail him out so Maass could attend Super Bowl LIV in Miami.
The missing money was discovered in July, when officials overseeing the fund realized a discrepancy between accounts. They called for a forensic audit to confirm their suspicions.
Oakland County Sheriff's Office Special Investigation Unit believes Maass took the money for personal use after discovering he wrote checks to himself and his contracting company from the fund.
Maass, who has been connected to the fund since 2012, was given a $700,000 cash surety bond with no 10% at arraignment on Feb. 4, with another court hearing set for Feb. 10.
Oakland Hills Country Club is one of the nation's most important clubs, hosting five US Opens, three PGA Championships and the Ryder Cup.
