Former Fishers coach Stopkotte indicted in Tennessee

A former Fishers High School swim coach once accused of misappropriating school funds in Hamilton County now faces a 15-count federal indictment in Nashville, Tenn.

Ken Stopkotte had been arrested in February 2013 in Williamson County, about 20 miles south of Nashville, on two counts of theft of property over $500 and under $1,000.

But the federal indictment, handed down March 5, involves sums totaling more than $180,000, including from churches.

The newest charges against Stopkotte include bank larceny, money laundering, access device fraud and aggravated identity theft, according to a written announcement from David Rivera, U.S. attorney for the middle district of Tennessee, and Todd Hudson, a special agent in charge with the U.S. Secret Service.

According to the indictment, between August 27, 2012, and February 28, 2013, Stopkotte stole $181,608.52 in donation checks from the mailboxes of several churches in the Nashville area.

Stopkotte is accused of depositing the checks in accounts he controlled at SunTrust Bank, First Tennessee Bank, Regions Bank, the Bank of Nashville and the Navy Federal Credit Union.

Stopkotte allegedly also transferred about $70,000 of the stolen funds from the bank accounts to an account that he controlled at USAA Federal Savings Bank. Stopkotte then laundered about $48,000 of the money by nine wire transfers in varying amounts into an account titled Black Marlin Industries located at the Federal Bank of the Middle East in Nicosia, Cyprus, according to the indictment.

Stopkotte had faced charges of theft in Hamilton County several years ago, but those charges were dropped.

He was arrested in November 2010 and accused of putting money into an account for a swim club he ran instead of a Fishers High School account. The Hamilton Southeastern School District lodged a complaint, and Stopkotte was charged with eight counts of fraud.

But the Hamilton County prosecutor's office dismissed the charges against him in March 2012.

Then, last year, Stopkotte launched his own lawsuit against the Hamilton Southeastern School District, charging defamation and emotional distress. The status of that lawsuit was unclear Monday night.