The Hope Box Founder ordered to repay $80K in misappropriated funds

ATLANTA - A woman accused of skimming donations from her own charity has to pay back what she owes. 

A Fulton County judge ruled on Wednesday that Sarah Koeppen misappropriated tens of thousands of dollars from her charity, The Hope Box. 

Sarah Koeppen accused of misappropriation of funds

The backstory:

The Georgia Secretary of State’s Office says Koeppen spent that money on personal items, dinner parties, and even a car. The judge says Koeppen must repay $80,000, sell the car, and shut down her charity.

Koeppen already agreed to a similar deal a couple of years ago. But the Secretary of State’s Office says Koeppen violated those terms and kept taking money. "She’s taken monies and—for lack of a better word, in layman’s terms—pocketed it," said Gabe Sterling, Chief Operating Officer for the Secretary of State’s Office.

Georgia Secretary of State’s Office on Koeppen

What they're saying:

In June 2023, Koeppen signed an agreement to close The Hope Box and stop collecting donations. When asked if Koeppen shut down the charity, Sterling answered, "She signed a consent decree of her own free will saying, ‘I will stop doing this, I’ll repay the money, I will no longer operate this way,’ opened another name of a charity without filing again."

Sterling says Koeppen violated that order and kept collecting money. "After she signed the consent decree, she took some of the money and opened a bank account in Hawaii," Sterling said.

The Secretary of State’s Office sued Koeppen, claiming she misappropriated funds. A Fulton County judge on Wednesday ruled Koeppen must repay everything. "Sell or buy that car, give the money back and pay the $80,000, you no longer are allowed to be in charge of a charity, raise money," Sterling said.

Sterling says Koeppen used the donations for travel, hair salons, dinner parties, her daughter’s birthday party, and even a wedding. "Yes, it was a litany of items that were obviously not intended for charitable uses," Sterling said.

 Koeppen's previous interview

The other side:

FOX 5 interviewed Koeppen about The Hope Box back in February 2020. Sterling says Koeppen spent tens of thousands of dollars in contributions on herself from January 2018 until recently, totaling up to $80,000, plus a vehicle she bought for the charity that she has been using for personal use for over a year. 

What is the Hope Box?

Dig deeper:

Koeppen launched The Hope Box in Acworth to prevent babies from being abandoned and rescue children from sex traffickers. But the Secretary of State’s Office says Koeppen ran a bogus nonprofit and skimmed charitable donations for her own personal use. "She misappropriated funds," Sterling said. "Essentially, it went to her bank account from the charity’s bank account."

Will Koeppen comply?

What's next:

When asked, "What makes him think Koeppen will comply with the current agreement?" Sterling said, "The attorney general is looking at this with a lot of interest."

FOX 5 has called the Georgia Attorney General’s Office and is waiting for a response. FOX 5 has called Koeppen numerous times. She has not responded.