Former Racine County official charged with embezzling more than $350K

By: CBS 58 Newsroom

Posted: Dec 27, 2019 6:35 PM CST

RACINE COUNTY, Wis. (CBS 58) -- A former official in Racine County is charged with embezzling hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Investigators say James Svoboda used village funds to finance his lavish lifestyle. He's also charged with forgery, entity theft and misconduct in public office.

Svoboda used to work as the joint park manager for Caledonia and Mount Pleasant. He was also the sexton of the Caledonia Memorial Cemetery.

He's accused of stealing more than $350,000.

Authorities believe he spent the money on personal items, including car repairs, home upgrades and vacations.

Svoboda was also the chairman of the Kraut Music Festival which was canceled this year. He's accused of spending festival funds on a designer handbag, plane tickets and an Apple Macbook.

Investigators say Svoboda was stealing from the villages since 2013.

He's being held on $20,000 cash bond.