A Parma City Schools Board of Education member was arrested this week for allegedly "misusing" a credit card of a Parma athletic booster club and forging a document to cover up the fraudulent purchase, police said Friday.
Amanda Karpus, the vice president of the board of education, was arrested Wednesday and appeared in Parma Municipal Court, where the case was bound over to Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court. She was released on her own recognizance. Karpus was elected vice president of the board last week.
Forgery is a felony offense in Ohio and could range from a second to fifth degree felony. The offense allegedly occurred in September 2022. The Parma Police Department sent the following statement Friday:
"There are allegations that Amanda Karpus misused a credit card that was the property of an athletic booster club where she was the president," the department said. "When this was discovered, she allegedly created a forged document to cover up the fraudulent purchase. She is currently the Vice President of the Parma City School District Board of Education. Her case has been forwarded to the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office for further action. A police report is not available at this time as the case is still pending. No further information is available at this time as this case remains under investigation."
Karpus is listed as the president of the Valley Forge Football Parents Club on the organization's website. She has not yet responded to an emailed request for comment.
Amy Poppik, spokesperson for Parma City Schools, said the district is “aware of an investigation into one of our members” in a statement released Friday.
“We are aware of an investigation into one of our members,” she said. “We cannot comment on this matter as it is both personal and a pending legal matter. Our focus as a board is and will continue to be the success of our students and moving our school district forward.”
Poppik declined to answer a question about what will happen to Karpus’ appointment to the board of education.
