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The former executive director of the Utah Pork Producer's Association, who was sued in May by his own organization, is now facing criminal charges.
Haven Hendricks, 74, of Providence, was charged last month in 1st District Court with three counts of second-degree felony communications fraud, one count of second-degree felony unlawful dealings with property by a fiduciary and one count of third-degree felony unlawful acts by a director or agent.
Charging documents do not shed light on the allegations against him, but UPPA filed a lawsuit in Cache County in May alleging that Hendricks stole more than $325,000 from the association.
The association alleges that the former director — who held the position for decades and was the "primary employee" of UPPA — had been diverting payments to himself from corporate accounts.
"These transactions primarily included the issuance of checks that Hendricks personally cashed or retained," the civil lawsuit reads.
The lawsuit claims that UPPA did not know how long the alleged crimes had been going on, though the criminal prosecutors accuse Hendricks of taking the money between 2008-2015.
Hendricks was fired by the UPPA board of directors when they discovered the alleged fraud in March, according to the complaint.
The defendant is expected to make his initial appearance in court on Monday. If convicted of any of the second-degree felonies, he faces a maximum penalty of 1-to-15 years at the Utah State Prison.
No trial dates have been set in the civil suit.