A former golf course worker accused of stealing nearly $900,000 from an Ohio golf course remains at large.
Kinley Lee is accused of embezzling $883,000 from Cincinnati-area Coldstream Country Club while serving as the club’s financial director, according to multiple reports.
Lee and his wife reportedly left the United States in June 2024 to live in Mexico. In August of that year, the couple was ordered to pay Coldstream $4 million, the original amount stolen plus damages, after the Coldstream club filed a civil lawsuit.
Local authorities are seeking to extradite Lee to face charges in the United States, WKRC reports
“We have been involved in this process with the Sheriff’s Office and various federal agencies,” Hamilton County Assistant Prosecutor Andy Berghausen told WKRC. “We believe things are moving forward and are working to get all the necessary documents and things in place to get him back.”
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Berghausen added that help from federal authorities was needed but did not provide a timetable.
Lee, 28, served as Coldstream’s financial director for less than a year, according to court documents reviewed by USA TODAY and Golfweek. He transferred club funds into accounts he controlled and left the country ahead of a planned audit, telling the club he and his wife were going on holiday to Mexico.
A warrant has been issued for Lee’s arrest and Coldstream plans to seek a lengthy prison sentence if he is caught.
“It was just a matter of time,” Coldstream’s attorney Christopher McDowell told USA Today. “He was never safe.”
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