Wyndi Veigel-Gaudette
Content Editor
Two former Dublin Chamber of Commerce Board Members have been arrested on charges stemming from financial misconduct.
Robert Steven McNutt, former chamber president, and Shannon Cline, former treasurer, were arrested this week for the offense of Misapplication of Fiduciary Property ($750-$2,500), a Class A misdemeanor. They both surrendered to the Erath County Jail and have both posted bond since then.
Charges stem from a year-long investigation started at the request of the rest of the chamber of commerce board in October 2024.
In early 2024, McNutt was elected as president of the chamber after briefly serving as treasurer. Cline was appointed treasurer shortly after and was known to McNutt because she was his business partner’s wife.
Prior to their appointments, the chamber’s financial accounting had been conducted by an external firm. However, following their election, McNutt and Cline discontinued the use of the outside firm and began managing all financial activities internally, according to Dublin PD. Current chamber President Nancy Williams said they were told Cline was a CPA so they did not need an outside firm to help and it would save the chamber money.
In summer 2024, chamber board members began to express concerns over a lack of financial transparency and in October 2024, the chamber board took action to remove Cline and McNutt from their positions and contacted DPD to report possible financial irregularities. McNutt and Cline were removed from every chamber account the day after their board meeting, and keys were immediately taken away.
During the investigation, the police department discovered multiple unauthorized transactions made with chamber funds. Through the review of bank records, receipts and other documents, investigators determined that approximately $1,930 in chamber funds had been misapplied for personal use, including purchases of beer, tobacco and fuel for personal vehicles, along with other non-chamber related expenses.
Detective Nanci Wilson explained that McNutt was allegedly using a chamber bank card for the non chamber-related expenses, and Cline would allegedly re-code the expense into Quickbooks to make the details look chamber related.
“For example, one expense was steaks and a bottle of wine and it was recoded to make it look like office supplies,” she said.
Wilson said she was amazed at how quickly the board took action and discovered the financial crimes.
“With both a president and treasurer involved sometimes it takes a long time before it’s discovered,” she said.
“We would like to thank the Dublin Chamber of Commerce and the Erath County Attorney’s Office for their cooperation during this investigation,” Dublin Police Chief Cameron Ray said.
The chamber, which is a certified nonprofit, is funded through memberships of businesses, fundraisers and a portion of Hotel and Motel Occupancy (HOT) funds from sales tax.
However, the funds misappropriated were only from the general fund, Williams clarified, not HOT funds.
Williams said they went to the police as soon as they knew something didn’t seem right.
“Community trust was betrayed and we know it was the right thing to do,” she said.
The chamber has implemented the following items to aid in security and transparency for the community:
All expenditures must go through a board vote
A CPA has been hired again to work with the chamber and overlook their financial documents
There is only one single bank card and it is utilized only for online transactions when needed, otherwise it stays secured
“Public trust is the foundation of every organization, and accountability in the handling of public or community funds is essential. When individuals are entrusted with the stewardship of community resources, that responsibility must be upheld with honesty and integrity. The Dublin Police Department remains committed to protecting the interests of our citizens and ensuring that public funds are used for their intended purpose,” Ray said.