Imprisoned Ann Arbor youth hockey embezzler transferred to boot camp, could get early release

Kimberly Knight

Knight pleaded guilty to two counts of embezzlement in 2009 after a lengthy investigation showed she stole more than $934,000 from the Ann Arbor Amateur Hockey Association while serving as bookkeeper over a two-year period. Investigators with the Pittsfield Township police found evidence of lavish jewelry purchases, exotic family vacations and luxury vehicles in Knight’s bank records.

Circuit Judge Melinda Morris ordered her to pay more than $700,000 in restitution and delayed sentencing for one year to give Knight an opportunity to repay the organization.

Knight made a lump-sum payment of $75,000 and continued to pay $1,500 per month, per Morris’ orders, records show. However, she did not comply with Morris’ deadlines to turn over tax records and other financial documents to authorities who are trying to account for the missing money. In July, Morris sentenced her to serve between two and 10 years, and two and 15 years in prison on the respective charges. She is serving the sentences concurrently.

In early September, Frederic Goff, deputy warden of the SAI program, wrote Morris requesting permission to admit Knight, who qualified after careful screening, according to court records.

“The prisoner has been screened and meets all the eligibility requirements,” Goff wrote. He also noted that if successfully completed, the program allows automatic parole for a minimum of 18 months or the balance of the minimum sentence, whichever is greater.

Neither Morris nor prosecutors objected to the request, according to court records.

The SAI program is divided into three phases, according to the MDOCs website. The first phase involves a 90-day regimen of military-style exercise, work assignments and other programs such as substance-abuse treatment. The second phase typically includes moving to a residential halfway house before phase three, which works much like typical supervised probation.

The goal is to keep eligible convicts away from the traditional prison setting and have them serve their sentences in a more cost-effective manner. Participants are expected to take classes as well, ranging from job-search skills to substance abuse treatment and anger management.

Knight also faces civil suits filed by AAAHA and a local bank, which she owed more than $40,000, court records show.

An unrelated case of check fraud against Knight is still pending in Washtenaw County Circuit Court, records indicate. Knight allegedly passed two bad checks for less than $500 at the Dexter Pharmacy in February, police reports said.

Knight’s defense attorney, Michael LeGris, did not return messages seeking comment.

Art Aisner is a freelance writer for AnnArbor.com. Reach the news desk at news@annarbor.com or 723-623-2530.