Former Eagle River Resident Sentenced for Embezzling Approximately $150,000 from Mustang Hockey Association

Anchorage, Alaska – U.S. Attorney Bryan Schroder announced today that a former Eagle River resident has been sentenced in federal court for embezzling approximately $150,000 from the Mustang Hockey Association.

Jennifer Suchan, aka “Jennifer Kerr,” 34, was sentenced today by Chief U.S. District Judge Timothy M. Burgess, to serve 14 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release.  Suchan previously pleaded guilty to three counts of wire fraud, and as part of her plea, she agreed to pay a total of $170,353 in restitution.  

According to court documents, from 2014 to 2017, Suchan was the treasurer of the Mustang Hockey Association, a volunteer, non-profit youth hockey organization operating in the Eagle River area.  In 2015, Suchan began forging the signature of another board member to write herself checks on the Association’s bank account.  Suchan falsely noted the checks were for office supplies, reimbursements, tax payments, and professional services, among other things.  She actually used the money she obtained by forging the checks to pay for purchases such as a $1,500 chicken coop, trips for her family to Disneyland and Alyeska, payments on her BMW, and mortgage payments on her house, among other things.

Suchan repeatedly forged checks to herself over the course of two and half years, until she was caught.  During that time, Suchan forged over 140 checks to herself totaling approximately $150,000.  In addition to the $150,000 in forged checks, Suchan failed to document the purpose of an additional $7,353 in checks deposited to her own account, in her own name, that were not forged, and $14,000 in cash she withdrew from the Association’s bank account. She will repay the full amount in restitution. 

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Anchorage Police Department conducted the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of this case.  This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Aunnie Steward and Anne Veldhuis.