PHOENIX — The former executive secretary of the Arizona Association of Future Farmers of America is accused of altering invoices and funneling over $1 million of the organization's funds into a secret bank account.
Tyler Grandil, 50, was recently indicted in Maricopa County Superior Court for charges of fraud and computer tampering after auditors uncovered suspicious financial activity that occurred during his tenure at AZFFA.
FFA is a national organization that offers educational opportunities for students interested in agriculture.
The Arizona chapter operates as a nonprofit that was housed within the Arizona Department of Education.
Between 2011 and 2015, Grandil allegedly deposited about $1.7 million in FFA revenues into a checking account that should have been deposited into a state-managed account. These revenues were typically generated from dues paid by students and conference registrations.
Auditors claim Grandil concealed this financial deceit by altering over 400 invoices in the Department of Education's software.
Grandil allegedly gave some of the funds in the secret account to his family members and their companies.
"Mr. Grandil's family members claimed Mr. Grandil hired them to provide goods and services to AZFFA, but they did not provide documentation to support the purpose of those goods and services," the audit report states.
Furthermore, auditors could not determine exactly how much of the money deposited in the secret account was used on personal expenses since Grandil allegedly comingled AZFFA and personal purchases.
His employment with the department ended in December 2015.
Auditors faulted the education department for allowing Grandil to have "unfettered access" to AZFFA funds and not detecting his "manipulations" sooner.
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