Hoover woman charged with stealing nearly $200,000 from YWCA of Central Alabama

Federal prosecutors today charged a Hoover woman with stealing nearly $200,000 from the YWCA of Central Alabama between 2012 and 2017.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Alabama and U.S. Secret Service said 37-year-old Rikki Ross, who served as director of child development services at the nonprofit from August 2010 until she resigned in 2017, used a fraudulent account to charge people for YWCA childcare services and directed more than $190,000 to her personal bank account.

Part of her job included processing credit and debit card payments from parents for childcare services, according to her plea agreement with the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

The YWCA used a Square point-of-sale device to process payments and had a Square account named YWCA Child Development Center. In April 2012, Ross created a Square account of her own and named it YWCA CDC, according to her plea agreement. She linked the YWCA CDC account to her personal Regions Bank account and stole more than $190,000 between April 2012 and August 2017, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a news release.

“Stealing from any nonprofit is unconscionable, but to steal program fees that were intended to provide a positive space for kids is truly indefensible,” U.S. Attorney Jay Town said in the press release. “The Secret Service did an excellent job, as always, bringing Ross to justice.”

Ross has agreed to forfeit $198,597 to the government as proceeds of illegal activity and to pay that same amount in restitution to the YWCA, according to her plea agreement.

Because the YWCA of Central Alabama receives more than $10,000 a year in federal benefits, the charge against her was filed in U.S. District Court. Her arraignment is scheduled for March 15, with a plea hearing and sentencing date likely to follow. The maximum penalty for federal program fraud is 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

The Secret Service investigated this case in conjunction with the Birmingham Police Department, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Robin Beardsley Mark is prosecuting the case.

Secret Service Special Agent in Charge Michael Williams said this case highlights the excellent work the Secret Service Financial Crimes Task Force is conducting. “This task force is a strong force-multiplier of Birmingham metro law enforcement that fights financial crimes affecting our community,” Williams said.

The Young Women’s Christian Association of Central Alabama, headquartered in Birmingham, focuses on providing quality child development programs for children of homeless and working poor families, affordable housing, domestic violence services and social justice programming.

CEO Yolanda Sullivan said in a written statement that “although we cannot speak to any specifics since this is a police matter, we want to assure our parents and community partners that this has not and will not affect the quality of care we provide children utilizing the services of the YWCA. We take our commitment to providing them the best start in life very seriously.”

This article was updated at 4:25 p.m. with information about Ross' arraignment date and the likely process to follow.