Longtime employee of Boise’s Arid Club accused of embezzlement
A former office manager at the Arid Club is charged with stealing thousands of dollars from the elite private dining club, according to court documents.
Paula May Marcelin, a 42-year-old Emmett woman, was charged in November with felony grand theft in connection with money missing from the Arid Club, 1137 W. River St.
Marcelin was in court Thursday and waived her right to a preliminary hearing. She’s now set to be arraigned in Fourth District Court at 9 a.m. on Jan. 9 before Judge Steven Hippler.
In the criminal complaint, Marcelin is accused of wrongfully taking money from the club on or between Jan. 1, 2015 and Nov. 16 of this year.
At a probable cause hearing last month, an Ada County deputy prosecutor said a Boise police officer who investigated an alleged theft at the Arid Club was told by a club employee that an accountant’s audit of the books revealed $15,000 in missing funds.
The officer told the prosecutor that Marcelin, described as an office manager for more than a dozen years, admitted that she started writing checks to herself in January to help pay medical bills — and she said she intended to pay the money back, the prosecutor said in the hearing. The Boise police investigator said the estimated amount taken was about $50,000.
Marcelin’s attorney, Gerald Bublitz, did not respond to requests for comment Thursday afternoon.
Arid Club General Manager Alvin Charlton said Thursday that Marcelin no longer works for the club. He declined to comment further.
Marcelin’s LinkedIn account shows that she worked as office manager and human resources for the club from March 2004 to November of 2016.
Membership in the Arid Club, popular with the Idaho business and political elite, is only through invitation from a member in good standing, with approval by the board of directors, the club’s Web site says.
Katy Moeller: 208-377-6413, @KatyMoeller
This story was originally published December 15, 2016 at 6:02 PM with the headline "Longtime employee of Boise’s Arid Club accused of embezzlement."