Former Goodman Center VP pleads not guilty to embezzling $600K

Online court records show that a not guilty plea was entered on behalf of Dewayne Powell, the former vice president at the Goodman Community Center who was accused of embezzling more than $600,000, Channel3000 reports. Powell, who is charged with two felony counts of uttering a forgery and nine felony counts of theft of movable property, stood mute at an arraignment on Wednesday. 

While serving as the Goodman Center’s vice president of business and finance, Powell allegedly embezzled funds between April of 2021 and June of 2024 to cover gambling and other personal expenses. He was fired after Letesha Nelson, the Goodman Center’s president and executive director, discovered discrepancies in the nonprofit’s accounts.

Powell’s next scheduled court appearance is a pre-trial conference on Aug. 11. 

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