A treasurer of a nonprofit in Isanti County, Minnesota, is accused of using her position to steal nearly $100,000. 

The 61-year-old woman was a board member of the Isanti County Sheriff's Foundation and now faces theft charges, including theft by swindle. 

Court documents say other board members of the sheriff's foundation were not aware that she had opened bank accounts and deposited grant money. That grant money totaled $100,000 and was meant to fund Project 612, a program supporting at-risk youth in the Twin Cities. 

"Honestly, I didn't believe it at first," said Marshaan Johnson, founder of Project 612. "I was like there's no way that she would do this because I trusted her so much."

Johnson says Project 612 was not a nonprofit and needed a 501(c)(3) organization to steward a grant meant to support programing for kids for a full year. 

"I reached out to a friend and was like, 'Hey, this is what's going on.' I was like, 'I have this grant, but I need someone to steward the money for me because I don't have a 501(c)(3).' She was like, 'My mother does. I could talk to her,'" Johnson said. 

His friend's mother was the treasurer of the Isanti County Sheriff's Foundation. Johnson says for a few months this year, he received the money he expected and programming for the kids was underway. 

"Then things got a little wonky, a check bounced for me, a check bounced for my partner and then questions started floating," Johnson said. 

Court documents show a Chisago County investigator found checks from the sheriff's foundation account were written out personally "in the amounts of $45,000, $30,000 and $20,000" to the treasurer of the Isanti County Sheriff's Foundation. 

"I'm disappointed. I'm hurt," said Isanti County Sheriff Wayne Sieberlich. "I have no part in the foundation at all, it's a separate entity and that's by design, it's a conflict."

Sierberlich says the investigation was referred to the Chisago County Sheriff's office. He says his wife is a board member of the Isanti County Sheriff's Foundation and they have family ties to the woman now accused of stealing the money. 

"Because a friend took advantage of a lot of people, there are some people that think there's a conspiracy or that we were involved in this somehow, and I just don't know how to explain to people so that they understand there is no connection," he said.

As for Johnson and Project 612, he was able to get a payment back and he isn't wavering from his mission. 

"We're going to try and get it back in full swing come this next week," he said on Saturday. "[Those kids] are the future and I want to invest where I can."

The woman facing charges in this case is also facing accusations in a different county. Court documents out of Pine County charge her with attempted identity theft in a separate case and say over the summer, she tried to take out a loan for $140,000 in someone else's name.