Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods is asking the public for help to locate a 32-year-old former cheerleading coach who is wanted for organized fraud.
During his regular “Wanted by Woods Wednesday” segment on Facebook, Sheriff Woods asked for assistance with finding Richard “Khris” Tillman.
Tillman is the former cheerleading coach for Belleview High School. While he was at the school, he allegedly defrauded the booster club, students, and parents out of over $6,200 that was earned from fundraising.
According to Sheriff Woods, Tillman set up a plan for the cheerleaders to work concession stands at the University of Florida and, in turn, their cheerleading team would receive a portion of the revenue from the concession sales. However, they never received these funds.
The Marion County Sheriff’s Office conducted an investigation, which revealed that Tillman had allegedly routed the funds to his own business account instead of to the team’s account. In addition, Sheriff Woods stated that Tillman personally collected hundreds of dollars from the cheerleaders and their parents to cover the cost of dues, equipment, and other team-related functions, but this money cannot be accounted for.
“While it is obvious that this kind of activity is illegal, it is also upsetting to me that the financial burden is now on the students and parents of the team,” stated Sheriff Woods. “Khris’ selfish actions have already taken – and will continue to take – hard-earned money from people who trusted him.”
If anyone has any information about Tillman’s whereabouts, Sheriff Woods asks that you call Crime Stoppers of Marion County at 352-368-STOP (7867) and reference 23-29 in your tip. If you use Crime Stoppers and your tip leads to an arrest, you could be eligible for a cash reward.