Local authorities are stepping up efforts to extradite Kinley Lee, a former controller at Coldstream Country Club in Anderson Township, who is accused of embezzling $883,000 before fleeing the country with his wife, Katherine.
The couple left the United States in June 2024 and are supposedly living in Mexico on a property owned by Katherine’s father.
Hamilton County Assistant Prosecutor Andy Berghausen, who oversees the financial crimes unit, verified that the extradition procedure is underway.
“We’ve been working on it with the sheriff’s office and several federal authorities. We’re sure that things are moving forward and developing to get all of the required documentation and procedures in place to bring him back,” Berghausen added.
However, he declined to specify a timetable for extradition, stating that his agency required assistance from federal officials.
The Coldstream Country Club had previously sued the Lees, which resulted in a $4 million judgment for alleged theft. The complaint granted a threefold increase in damages, surpassing the amount Lee was allegedly stealing. Berghausen contended that the prosecutors are solely pursuing the money they suspect Lee of stealing.
The affidavit against Lee describes improper credit card transactions, counterfeit checks, and a fraudulent vendor scam.
The club’s former lawyer suggested that gambling debts may have prompted the crime; he is now a Hamilton County Common Pleas Court judge. Berghausen declined to address probable motives, and Coldstream’s present attorneys declined to comment.
If extradited and convicted, Lee may face two to eight years in prison, a $15,000 fine, and required restitution.
The statute of limitations for the charges is six years, with the exception of those who flee. The extradition process can be lengthy, as seen by a similar case involving John Walker, who was extradited from Romania five years after being charged.
He was accused of stealing approximately $500,000 from business partners, who also obtained a multi-million dollar civil judgment against him, but a local judge acquitted Walker of the criminal accusations after a bench trial.
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