New charge filed against ex-Nebraska transit director accused of embezzlement
LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — The former director of a Nebraska transit service is facing another felony charge.
Jeffrey Stewart, 32, was charged Monday with unauthorized use of a financial transaction device.
Court documents allege that when he was the director of North Fork Area Transit in Norfolk, Stewart used business credit cards for personal expenses.
Credit card statements filed with the court show payments to casinos, hotels and airlines.
The unauthorized purchases from April to December 2022 totaled more than $740,000, authorities said.
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Stewart was charged in December 2022 with theft by unlawful taking.
He was arrested in July after turning himself in at the U.S.-Mexico border.
A preliminary hearing on the new charge is scheduled for April 10 in Madison County District Court.
Stewart’s trial is set to start on May 13.
North Fork Area Transit is a nonprofit, but the Nebraska State Auditor’s Office said 83% of its funding comes from the state, Madison County and the City of Norfolk.
In an audit of the bus service, the state found over $1.1 million in “inappropriate” spending in 2022.
