COLUMBUS, Ga. • Mar 30, 2022, – On Tuesday, a Columbus teacher who confessed to stealing over $240,000 from non-profit organizations and a local dentist’s office on Dec. 20, 2021, was sentenced to federal prison.

Trenna Denise Trice, 59, from Columbus, Georgia, received 24 months in prison and three years of supervised release.

Additionally, U.S. District Judge Clay Land ordered Trice to pay $240,259 in restitution.

“Ultimately, it was Trenna Trice’s greed and gambling addiction that led to this moment. Fraudsters who steal the hard-earned money of others must be held to account for these crimes which so often have a harmful ripple effect across a community,” said U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary. “Our office and our law enforcement partners will continue the work to bring these criminal fraud cases to light and to justice.”

According to court records, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Office of the Inspector General initiated an investigation into Trice’s financial activities in May 2019 after receiving reports of massive casino losses caused by an unidentified income stream.

The investigation uncovered that Trice’s primary source of income came from being employed as a teacher for the Muscogee County School District.

Before working as an educator, Trice worked for a dental office and volunteered as the campaign coordinator for the Columbus branch of the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) from 2005 to 2017.

While working as the campaign coordinator for the UNCF, Trice collected cash, credit card contributions, check payments for donations, and ticket sales for numerous fundraising events.

During the investigation, authorities determined that Trice put aside multiple small donations for her personal use.

The UNCF removed Trice in 2017 after questions arose concerning financial irregularities resembling embezzlement.

The investigation also discovered the dental office terminated Trice over similar allegations.

In addition, Trice collected donations for SAMARC, a non-profit organization operated by two former NBA players that conducts an annual basketball camp for children in Columbus, Georgia.

Authorities identified 109 checks and 265 credit card transactions deposited into Trice’s bank accounts without authorization. Trice claimed she suffered from a crippling gambling addiction for the last decade and used the money to further engage in gambling and pay her gambling debts.

Trice stole $162,044 from the UNCF, $70,231 from the dental office, $7,784 from SAMARC, and $200 from the Georgia Dental Society, amounting to a total of $240,259 in financial losses for the non-profits.

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