Imprisoned Ann Arbor youth hockey embezzler transferred to boot camp, could get early release
A Chelsea woman ordered to prison for stealing nearly $1 million from an Ann Arbor youth hockey league was recently transferred to a boot camp program.
Kimberly Knight, 47, is now part of the Michigan Department of Corrections’ Special Alternative Incarceration program, which could lead to an early release, according to court records.
Kimberly Knight
Knight pleaded guilty to two counts of embezzlement in 2009 after a lengthy investigation showed she stole more than $934,000 from the Ann Arbor Amateur Hockey Association while serving as bookkeeper over a two-year period. Investigators with the Pittsfield Township police found evidence of lavish jewelry purchases, exotic family vacations and luxury vehicles in Knight’s bank records.
Circuit Judge Melinda Morris ordered her to pay more than $700,000 in restitution and delayed sentencing for one year to give Knight an opportunity to repay the organization.
Knight made a lump-sum payment of $75,000 and continued to pay $1,500 per month, per Morris’ orders, records show. However, she did not comply with Morris’ deadlines to turn over tax records and other financial documents to authorities who are trying to account for the missing money. In July, Morris sentenced her to serve between two and 10 years, and two and 15 years in prison on the respective charges. She is serving the sentences concurrently.
In early September, Frederic Goff, deputy warden of the SAI program, wrote Morris requesting permission to admit Knight, who qualified after careful screening, according to court records.
“The prisoner has been screened and meets all the eligibility requirements,” Goff wrote. He also noted that if successfully completed, the program allows automatic parole for a minimum of 18 months or the balance of the minimum sentence, whichever is greater.
Neither Morris nor prosecutors objected to the request, according to court records.
The SAI program is divided into three phases, according to the MDOCs website. The first phase involves a 90-day regimen of military-style exercise, work assignments and other programs such as substance-abuse treatment. The second phase typically includes moving to a residential halfway house before phase three, which works much like typical supervised probation.
The goal is to keep eligible convicts away from the traditional prison setting and have them serve their sentences in a more cost-effective manner. Participants are expected to take classes as well, ranging from job-search skills to substance abuse treatment and anger management.
Knight also faces civil suits filed by AAAHA and a local bank, which she owed more than $40,000, court records show.
An unrelated case of check fraud against Knight is still pending in Washtenaw County Circuit Court, records indicate. Knight allegedly passed two bad checks for less than $500 at the Dexter Pharmacy in February, police reports said.
Knight’s defense attorney, Michael LeGris, did not return messages seeking comment.
Art Aisner is a freelance writer for AnnArbor.com. Reach the news desk at news@annarbor.com or 723-623-2530.
Comments
townie54
Mon, Nov 1, 2010 : 9:04 p.m.
cinco your idea is the best comment on here.Put her to work while on probation and garnish her wages forever.Why anyone would hire her to do anything but flip burgers is the question.Even then I wouldn't let her be near the money.
CincoDeMayo
Mon, Nov 1, 2010 : 3:54 p.m.
Strangely - Our office has had to deal with Kim. Guess what? She is really nice. (Just like most cons, right?) And, I know her attorney, who I have always liked very much. And, my kids play hockey which is very costly. ONE MILLION DOLLARS!!!! Somehow she should be made to pay the money back. Forget the camps, prison or anything else. Just put her to work making the money and paying it back. I do not have faith that the civil suits will result in that much cash. I think they will only be able to obtain a small amount of it. Heck, the last I knew she was still driving the Navigator, and the business is doing well. That money is gone in gifts or covered by "the husband's business". That money was hard earned and easily spent --- just put her to work and get it back.
jcj
Thu, Oct 7, 2010 : 2:05 p.m.
@ TheAnnouncerMan007 Take a deep breath. Now isn't that better? Talk about wearing your emotions on your sleeve. When I asked you the following "Do you or have you ever had a child in a hockey program? Have you taken you kid to hockey at 6 am?" I was not trying to make it look like hockey players or parents were any more committed than parents of other sports. My kids and grand kids have been involved or are involved in a myriad of sports. ( I will not bore you with their accomplishments meager as they might seem to YOU! ) But since the topic was embezzlement from the HOCKEY association I thought hockey parents might be a little more upset than the general populace! Thus the emotion that you chided us for showing. While you are raise the roof emotional!
Jay Allen
Thu, Oct 7, 2010 : 8 a.m.
@jcj: You struck a nerve AS YOU played the "my dog is bigger than your dog card" by asking if I had kids who had played "hockey" (as if that meant anything) and if I had been at practice at 6:00am. Thus, I was concise and to the point. I laid it ALL out so you had no wiggle room and what do you do? You try to accuse me of doing EXACTLY what you are doing. No, I do not condone stealing and anyone who thinks that from what I wrote needs reading 101 at WCC. I will say this to you, before you call someone out, you need to think before you do. Most often YOU are not alone in issues.
djm12652
Wed, Oct 6, 2010 : 3:43 p.m.
@rusty...huh? Chelsea, Dexter...etc...even they are "non-townies"?
rusty shackelford
Wed, Oct 6, 2010 : 1:42 p.m.
Yet another reason to keep out of towners out of Ann Arbor--especially running things on our behalf--as much as possible.
jcj
Wed, Oct 6, 2010 : 1:22 p.m.
@ TheAnnouncerMan007 It would appear that I struck a nerve! I believe most would view your post as an emotional reaction! If not what does it take to arouse emotion in YOU? My point was that most people get emotional when something close to home is taken. As far as irrelevant: While certainly laudable. The accomplishments of your kids certainly is irrelevant to this story! It would seem that the accomplishments of kids in any sport are irrelevant when it comes to stealing from them. At least I am man enough to admit I get emotional when talking about this person. While you clearly were emotional when responding or you would not have given us the history of your kids!
scooter dog
Wed, Oct 6, 2010 : 1:01 p.m.
If you want to add insult to injury,once she gets out of prison and can't find a job,guess what!. She gets to draw unemployment And they wonder why this sorry state is in the condition its in. And the circus keeps on a rolling
tommy_t
Wed, Oct 6, 2010 : 12:23 p.m.
"So no, not to the tune of 1 million dollars, but I have witnessed excess cash being blown or stolen." SO you condone such actions??
Jay Allen
Wed, Oct 6, 2010 : 10:42 a.m.
jcj: It is IRRELEVANT what the sport is. Stealing from the kids is wrong, pretty sure I said that. And YES folks like you are letting emotion get in the way. Now I DO NOT agree with what was done and I am pretty sure I made that clear. If not, I just did....... No, my kids do not play hockey. My daughter won 8 varsity letters in High School. She was 2nd Team All American in Water Polo as well 1st Team all state and all region. She was 1st team All State multiple times in swimming. She earned ( 2 ) D1 scholarships and is a freshman currently. How many kids earn a D1 scholarship? Little lone 2? My son is on the same path and he is excelling at the same rate. We have been at pools at 5am for years. Summer as well. Swimming & Polo. We have sat all weekend at USA swim meets. Not just a game or two, but morning session is 4 hours and then the afternoon session is 4 hours. Oh, don't forget about the 4 hour Friday night session too. I/we have done and continue to do our time. The club that the kids swam at had almost 200K in the bank and within 1 year it was gone. The money disappeared in ways that I am not allowed to voice publicly. So no, not to the tune of 1 million dollars, but I have witnessed excess cash being blown or stolen. Your emotion got in the way and you took a run at me for no good reason.
jcj
Wed, Oct 6, 2010 : 9:36 a.m.
"Knights defense attorney, Michael LeGris, did not return messages seeking comment." Dah! You think he want his name associated with this thief any more than he has to? @ TheAnnouncerMan007 "There is too much emotion happening here." Are you kidding? You think there is too much emotion shown? If A2.com would relax their censoring for a day you would see some real emotion for this (I can't say it!) Do you or have you ever had a child in a hockey program? Have you taken you kid to hockey at 6 am? Maybe there is too much apathy! @CLX I agree this women will always be a threat to someone or some organization. She will continue to embezzle. And here is the PROOF! " An unrelated case of check fraud against Knight is still pending in Washtenaw County Circuit Court, records indicate. Knight allegedly passed two bad checks for less than $500 at the Dexter Pharmacy in February" Harmless indeed! But not quite as dangerous as some of the naive posters!
Jay Allen
Wed, Oct 6, 2010 : 8:31 a.m.
There is too much emotion happening here. As "crime" goes and it has been stated, embezzling 1 million dollars in Michigan for a first time offender is not going to be viewed as a serious crime. Is it horrible what she did to those kids? Absolutely. But don't let your feelings cloud your judgment. They are letting murders, rapist, child sex offenders out early and a few of you think she'll be locked up? Ain't gonna happen. She is a criminal and I hope she does pay. However I would not hold my breath.
jmac
Wed, Oct 6, 2010 : 7:08 a.m.
This woman is a con artist, plain and simple. She has now conned two judges into leniency and I am sure she will attempt to fake her way through this 'boot camp' - which might actually fail, if I understand correctly how these camps are run. In any event, she did the crime, she should serve her time AND pay back all the $$ she stole from the Hockey Association. The sooner she is out of the slammer, the sooner she will hatch another scheme to steal someone else's hard earned cash, so why let her out early?
Deensee
Wed, Oct 6, 2010 : 6:25 a.m.
"The SAI program is divided into three phases, according to the MDOCs website. The first phase involves a 90-day regimen of military-style exercise, work assignments and other programs such as substance-abuse treatment." This does NOT happen! It USED to. Now all they do is go to classes! NO exercise, NO work assignments!! Just some classes.
Cash
Wed, Oct 6, 2010 : 5:57 a.m.
And yet.....many who want everyone sent to prison as punishment for non violent crimes are the very people who complain about big government and high taxes. You can't have it both ways.
pawky
Tue, Oct 5, 2010 : 9:48 p.m.
She should be required to work in a prison factory with every cent earned being used to pay back the victim.
Chuck
Tue, Oct 5, 2010 : 9:30 p.m.
See? Crime DOES pay in Michigan. What's the big risk if that's all she got after stealing a million bucks? Pathetic!!!
AlphaAlpha
Tue, Oct 5, 2010 : 8:23 p.m.
Alternately, Mick52, there are many many ways the taxpayers could get more value from their tax dollars. Lower pay for government masters-er, servants, much cheaper and improved lodging facilities, etc. Many, many options.
Mick52
Tue, Oct 5, 2010 : 6:36 p.m.
Space is a primary concern for corrections. If you want her to serve her true sentence, write your state legislator and tell them you want to boost your taxes to build and maintain more prisons. That way non violent offenders can be held longer. As is, the space is taken up by violent offenders and the Gov has been pushing out as many as possible to save money. The DOC budget line is one of the largest in Michigan's budget.
tommy_t
Tue, Oct 5, 2010 : 5:38 p.m.
Sounds like a good career path. Pretty good pay!
clara
Tue, Oct 5, 2010 : 5:25 p.m.
Special Alternative Incarceration is no longer referred to as 'boot camp'. It has been severely watered down over the years. Originally it was for young offenders but the department of corrections expanded it to cover just about any age. It is not limited to first time offenders. It is sort of a diversion from prison, either as a probationer or a prisoner. Yes the former Mayor had qualified for SAI but the sentencing judge said no. I believe after the 90 day program she would get to live at home, not a halfway house.
AnnArBo
Tue, Oct 5, 2010 : 5:24 p.m.
The civil suit has teeth, they have sued her, her husband, and her father. They all new about and benefited from what went on, more to follow on that one........
jcj
Tue, Oct 5, 2010 : 5:16 p.m.
"Neither Morris nor prosecutors objected to the request, according to court records." Why not do a poll to see if any of the rest of us object?
InsideTheHall
Tue, Oct 5, 2010 : 5:14 p.m.
She should be flogged at center ice in Chelsea and sent to the penalty for a long long time!
dianefw07
Tue, Oct 5, 2010 : 4:56 p.m.
Why in the world would anyone think Kim Knight qualifies for that program? I thought that was a program to help first time felons sharpen their skills in order to enter the work force again. Mrs. Knight has excellent bookeeping skills and they need no fine tuning.It isn't the fact that she isn't competent and can't work, it's that she has no integrity, is a thief and feels entitled to money that was never hers. How the judge can't see this and deny this request is mind boggling. Allowing her to to this is abusing the system.
Roadman
Tue, Oct 5, 2010 : 4:07 p.m.
Melinda Morris has arecord of lenient sentences in criminal prosecutions such as child molestation etc. One child molester got barely over a year in jail. Bruce Lee, civil rights plaintiff, got less than 2 years time served for shooting at a rival in a love triangle. She, however, gave Mark Koernke "Mark from Michigan", a local militia leader, a six-year sentence (he served five years) for running away from a cop. Politics dictate the sentence with Melinda.
Elaine F. Owsley
Tue, Oct 5, 2010 : 3:11 p.m.
Has the court taken the expensive jewelry? Have they taken the expensive cars? Have they put a lien on her house? What penalty has there been that is equal to the crime?
Barb
Tue, Oct 5, 2010 : 3:06 p.m.
One purpose of the "boot camp" is rehabilitate folks who are first-time offenders, in a more cost-effective manner. Personally, it sound like it could be good for her: http://www.michigan.gov/corrections/0,1607,7-119--5043--,00.html
charis
Tue, Oct 5, 2010 : 3:04 p.m.
I'm pretty sure there is still a boot camp and if I were a betting person, I'd bet that she will flunk out. I have a son who was there. He was in pretty good shape and still got knee and back problems plus a hernia which required surgery because of the strenuous exercise.
scooter dog
Tue, Oct 5, 2010 : 3:04 p.m.
The civil suit will get absolutly ZERO.Everything is in her husbands name and they can't touch it. As far as her out of prison and earning money to support herself,dream on she'll be living on taxpayers dime and all you complainers here will be paying her again, Ever heard of welfare and food stamps WOW the circus keeps on rolling
Cash
Tue, Oct 5, 2010 : 2:31 p.m.
Maybe we should start a special program where anyone who wants people who aren't threats and aren't violent in prison pays a special higher tax. Because frankly I'm tired of paying a fortune to feed and clothe etc folks like that. I don't want my tax money wasted when she can get out and feed and clothe herself. And anyone who thinks she can hide money in a civil trial clearly has not been involved in one!
Momma G
Tue, Oct 5, 2010 : 2:30 p.m.
She better be paying back her debt when she gets released.
Bulganzio
Tue, Oct 5, 2010 : 2:28 p.m.
CLX is spot on. She hasn't made restitution. She hasn't repented. She hasn't cooperated. Are the women's prison facilties in this area so full of other convicts whose crimes are worse than this, that they can't find room for her? How could that be?
Deensee
Tue, Oct 5, 2010 : 2:25 p.m.
There is no Boot Camp! Any information gathered from their web site is old and no longer relevant! Call the SAI, the Boot Camp, once a great program, is no longer in existance!
dell
Tue, Oct 5, 2010 : 2:18 p.m.
I'm sure she will be having an issue with the Internal Revenue Service. If she did not claim the monies she embezzeled as income, its just a matter of time before the IRS catches up with her.
CLX
Tue, Oct 5, 2010 : 2:08 p.m.
I completely disagree that this woman is not a threat. She may pose no physical threat, but she exhibits no remorse. Her actions seem quite clear: she will not pay, she will continue to hide her assets, she will continue to exploit any possible advantage she has to avoid any responsibility whatsoever. She has shown that given the chance, she will break the law again, and quickly. I question whether she has any moral compass at all. That is precisely the person who should remain in jail. In does not matter that her crims was non-violent. Violence has been done indeed.
MjC
Tue, Oct 5, 2010 : 1:45 p.m.
The saddest part of this story is the number of children she hurt, including her own, as a result of her greed. I wonder if Knight is even capable of understanding that fact. Well, let's hope the boot camp program helps her with job skills, not that I can imagine she's employable.
Brian Bundesen
Tue, Oct 5, 2010 : 1:18 p.m.
Didn't Kwame try to get into Boot Camp? I thought the whole Boot Camp idea was for very young first offenders, with the camp as the opportunity to straighten them out, before a life of crime. This woman has proven over and over (a'la Kwame) that there is no intent to make good on her court imposed requirements. I would say unbelievable, but it's not unbelievable.
Cash
Tue, Oct 5, 2010 : 1:15 p.m.
ERMG, I absolutely agree. But I'm not interested in keeping her or a small time druggie in prison on my dime. Save that costly sentence for someone who truly is a threat to me and the rest of society. When the lawyers in the civil case are through with her she will wish she was in prison.
Cash
Tue, Oct 5, 2010 : 1:12 p.m.
@Barb, Oh she won't fool a calculating attorney in a civil case!! They can get blood from a snail.
Barb
Tue, Oct 5, 2010 : 12:48 p.m.
@Cash, I hope you're right although she's already proven she can hide the money effectively enough. I'll bet it will be a long time before she really pays what she owes, if at all.
1bigbud
Tue, Oct 5, 2010 : 12:43 p.m.
@Somewhat Concerned Let her at your hard earned money then see how YOU look at it Tell the Hockey kids no big thing "serious crime" I bet you would want LIFE
Cash
Tue, Oct 5, 2010 : 12:39 p.m.
I'm glad we aren't paying to keep her long term. It's a waste of tax money. The civil suits will clean her out financially. Prison should be for people we are afraid of, not people we are mad at. We can't afford to keep going with this "throw away the key" attitude toward non violent offenders. As I said, the civil suit will take care of the financial side of the house.
Tom Joad
Tue, Oct 5, 2010 : 12:36 p.m.
She should sit in prison until she coughs up the rest of the cash. Hopefully that check fraud case where put her back to where she belongs, jail.
Somewhat Concerned
Tue, Oct 5, 2010 : 12:27 p.m.
Embezzling nearly a million dollars is not a serious crime in Michigan.
Somewhat Concerned
Tue, Oct 5, 2010 : 12:20 p.m.
The goal: get convicted crooks back into society as quickly as possible. Why do we waste our money on police and judges?
1bigbud
Tue, Oct 5, 2010 : 11:54 a.m.
Early Out Thats Great Now she can spend HER MONEY the way she wanted I am so happy that Michigan will do this for her I HOPE SHE IS HAPPY (LOL)
Barb
Tue, Oct 5, 2010 : 11:28 a.m.
I wonder if she's still paying her restitution...