Lang
7/8/23
The former president of Iowa City Pride has been ordered to pay back over $35,000 in funds he stole from the organization.
That ruling was made by Judge Kevin McKeever last week when he sentenced 38-year-old Anthony Sivanthaphanith to three years of probation on a 2nd Degree Theft charge.
Sivanthaphanith admitted to investigators that he spent $8,000 in Pride funds without the board of directors’ knowledge between May and November 2021 when he was both president and treasurer. He allegedly ordered checks in his name drawn on the Pride account for which he had been issued a debit card as the treasurer.
The board, working in conjunction with the police, was able to tie the expenditures to Sivanthaphanith’s social media posts about his travels.
Police say expenditures included “transactions for hotels, gas, food, airlines, entertainment, retail and personal bills.” The purchases reportedly occurred in at least seven states, plus several locations throughout Iowa.
Sivanthaphanith was initially charged with 1st Degree Theft. As part of his plea deal, he must pay $35,732 in restitution to Iowa City Pride. The minimum monthly payment is $50.
Sivanthaphanith reportedly paid $20,000 of the restitution when he made his written plea.