Former Hermantown PTO Treasurer Sentenced After Stealing Over $100,000

HERMANTOWN, Minn. — A Hermantown woman has been sentenced after stealing over $100,000 from the Hermantown Parent Teachers Organization (PTO).

Trista Swanson, 44, was sentenced to three years of probation on four counts of felony theft.

Swanson must also pay back the $103,017.41 that she stole from the PTO. She plead guilty to these charges in October.

Swanson was the former treasurer for the Hermantown PTO board when the crimes were committed between 2019 and 2022.

The court determined that Swanson wrote check to herself from the account and directly withdrawal cash from the account debit card, making numerous unauthorized personal purchases.

Court documents also say that another board member provided a recorded phone call where Swanson admitted to other board members to making unauthorized purchases.