MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Will Cunha’s grateful for his time with Boy Scout Troop 368 nearly two decades ago.
“The troop was probably one of the best, if not the best, experience that I had during my high school and middle school years,” said Cunha.
Which leaves him and many others shocked to hear the troop’s treasurer, David Cline, is accused of stealing over $95,000 from them.
“This is very disappointing for the entire scouting community to see someone took advantage of a local Boy Scout Troop,” said volunteer scouter and certified fraud examiner Andy Wilson.
Wilson told WREG’s Bridget Chapman that last summer a check Cline wrote for the scouts to go to summer camp bounced. Cline reportedly told the council it was because the boys hadn’t paid all their money and told the troop the council made an accounting error.
This January, the Boy Scouts of America decided to audit Troop 368’s financial records.
“In talking with Mr. Cline, he revealed that he used the money to pay off his mortgage and rent and gasoline and food and other expenses for he and his family,” said Wilson.
They took the case to Germantown Police last month, which led to Cline being charged with property of theft.
The Boy Scouts of America said it took time to gather the thousands of financial documents related to the case and noted it’s a volunteer organization so many of them still had to work full-time jobs.
Scouts just hope this doesn’t taint the experience for anyone else.
“The troop has been, has given me so much and has given my family, all my friends, the people I went through that experience with so much,” said Cunha.
Cunha has also started a Go Fund Me page for the troop.
Boy Scouts of America said this loss shouldn’t affect any of their scheduled events for the rest of the year.
WREG reached out to Cline for our coverage on this case, but he declined to comment.