Former Forsyth-Monroe Chamber president accused of theft, wrongly spending chamber’s money

The former president and CEO of the Forsyth-Monroe Chamber of Commerce turned herself into authorities Wednesday after allegedly using the chamber’s money for personal use, according to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office.

Rebecca Stone, also known as Rebecca Smart, was accused of using an Endeavor Visa card, which belonged to the chamber, for “non-business-related purchases,” deputies said in a news release.

Stone now faces eight counts of theft by taking, the sheriff’s office said.

The sheriff’s office began investigating Stone on Sept. 11 at the request of the chamber’s Board of Directors. The case was still under investigation Thursday, according to Anna Greene Watkins, public information officer for the sheriff’s office.

She was taken into custody around 12:30 p.m. and had a bond hearing shortly after, Watkins told The Telegraph. Stone was granted a $5,000 property or cash bail, and released by Thursday morning.

She resigned as president in August “to change jobs for her family,” according to the Monroe County Reporter.

Financial ‘discrepancies’

Accounting discrepancies were found throughout 2024 while she was president, according to the chamber’s Board Chair Nick Morgan.

But he described the case as less extreme than it seemed.

“I wouldn’t go so far as saying theft,” Morgan told The Telegraph, despite the charges.

The chamber had access to her receipts of purchases but, there were “some discrepancies” with reports of purchases made by Stone, Morgan explained.

The chamber is a 501(c)(6) business, which means none of its net earnings should benefit any private shareholder, according to the IRS.

“We want to be prudent, we want to be wise about the fact that we are a Chamber of Commerce a 501(c)(6)... so that’s why we had to move forward,” Morgan said.

This story will be updated as more information becomes available.

This story was originally published October 23, 2024 at 1:59 PM.