ST. LOUIS – A woman appeared in federal court in downtown St. Louis Thursday to be sentenced for stealing $690,000 over the course of a decade from a St. Louis County charity.

U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri said Joelle Fouse, 58, worked as the director of finance and human resources for Promise Community Homes, formerly Rainbow Village, from October 2012 through December 2023. The organization serves adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Fouse was responsible for payroll, expense reimbursement, and maintaining the charity’s books and records. She admitted stealing money from the charity in multiple ways.

Prosecutors said Fouse transferred more than $407,000 into her personal bank accounts via 181 unauthorized expense payments. She did this by providing false expense reimbursement information to a third-party payroll processing company.

In addition, Fouse provided false payroll information, which led to 71 other unauthorized payments totaling over $139,000.

Fouse admitted using her company credit card to make 184 unauthorized purchases totaling over $133,200.

Prosecutors said she falsified financial and accounting records. Fouse admitted using the money to pay for personal expenses for herself and relatives, including travel, clothing, entertainment, restaurants, and rent.

The Promise Community Homes executive director wrote a letter to the judge, explaining that Fouse’s embezzlement put unnecessary financial strain on the charity and robbed clients of services. The director said the $8,000 Fouse spent at Louis Vuitton “could have funded a new ramp for a resident who can no longer navigate stairs and the $5,000 she spent on bottle service at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel “could have covered urgent repairs—HVAC systems, water heaters, essential appliances—for multiple homes.”

Fouse pleaded guilty in April 2025 to three counts wire fraud. Her worst crime, according to the executive director of Promise Homes, may have been the damage she caused to the charity’s reputation.

“We are now forced to spend valuable time and resources reassuring donors-many of whom have supported us for decades that we remain trustworthy and financially stable. Every hour we spend restoring confidence is an hour not spent serving our residents,” he wrote.
The judge sentenced Fouse to 40 months in federal prison and ordered her to repay the money she stole.