Hall County, Neb. — The former Nebraska State Fair Chief of Finance, Patrick Kopke has been charged with felonies following a state investigation.
According to the Nebraska Judicial Branchs online database, three counts of felony theft by unlawful taking are alleged on the charging document filed in Hall County Court.
Each count alleges the theft of more than $5,000.
State auditors say the former Chief of Finance for the State Fair collected nearly $150,000 in undocumented payments through a company he created last year.
Auditors say the review found two checks totaling $149,415.60 that were made out to RKBB Enterprises Inc. RKBB Enterprises was created in May 2019 by Kopke. He resigned in November after telling board members that the fair was headed for bankruptcy.
State auditors say they identified the questionable payments during a review of the fairs spending. They say they couldnt find any invoices for the payments or connect them to any services provided for the fair.
Arraignment on the charges in Hall County Court is scheduled for September 9.
