Former Mendota Heights Man Charged in Swindle of Service Club

A former Mendota Heights resident, Donald Peter Boehmer, 60, has been charged with nine felony counts of theft by swindle allegedly committed while he was treasurer of a local service organization.

Boehmer, now an Inver Grove Heights resident, served as treasurer of the local International Concatenated Order of Hoo-Hoo (Twin Cities Hoo-Hoo Club) from Nov. 2006-Dec. 2010.

Of checks written by Boehmer from the organization’s accounts, 105 of 259 were deemed not legitimate expenditures, according to an investigation by the . Withdrawals and a phone transfer were also allegedly used for Boehmer’s personal use instead of the organization’s.

An internal audit in Nov. 2010 revealed the missing funds, estimated now to be $154,663.07, according to a criminal complaint.

The Twin Cities Hoo-Hoo Club is a chapter of a fraternal organization for those associated with the paper products industry. Its unusual name is inspired by a slang term used by its founders in 1892, according to the organization's history.

Boehmer was cooperative with the investigation, according to the complaint, and told police that his use of the funds spiraled out of control and that he’d never meant for it to get this far.