Richland mother accused of stealing thousands of dollars from cheer booster club
A 45-year-old woman is accused of skimming more than $6,000 from a Richland cheer program to support her struggling family.
Rawni S. Morris told police she returned the money she took from the Firehouse Elite booster club, but the theft has damaged the club, court documents said.
The remaining managers and board members told police about “the devastating impact this malfeasance has had on their organization’s credibility and ability to raise further funds,” court documents said.
Prosecutors have charged Morris, who was the vice president for the booster club board, with first-degree theft. She also allegedly used her position of trust to commit the act.
Morris remains the registered agent of club that was founded in 2021. It supports students, teachers and parents of the Richland-based cheer program by raising funds, recruiting volunteers and conducting events, according to information from the state.
The club discovered problems after about $300 from a September raffle never made it into the club’s account.
This led the club to review the their financial records which allegedly found more than $6,300 had been transferred out of the account by Morris between October 2023 and August 2024, court documents said.
They also allegedly found two other times when Morris “loaned” money to herself. Court documents don’t say how much money she took out of the account.
When police talked to Morris, she allegedly admitted to talking money out of the account twice — once to cover travel expenses and the second time to support herself and her family because her husband, a real estate agent, had been struggling.
She insisted she repaid the money, but became nervous when the officer asked about the other amounts. She asked if she could just “put the money back,” and repeatedly claimed she’d intended to replace the funds, court documents said.
Morris later sent an email to the officer saying she paid the money back. Court documents don’t state whether she made the payment.
Morris is a STEAM specialist at the Kiona-Benton City Elementary School, and made about $95,000 during the 23-24 school year, according to Washington state records.
This story was originally published February 27, 2025 at 5:00 AM.