Charges allege former Eagle Creek golf pro stole from Willmar club

Dec. 15—WILLMAR

— Joseph John Wisocki IV, 56, of Eveleth, is facing five counts of felony theft by swindle for allegedly taking nearly $28,000 from the Willmar Community Golf Club, also known as

Eagle Creek Golf Club

, when he served as the club's director of golf, also referred to as a golf pro.

Wisocki

served as Eagle Creek's director of golf from February 2019 until he was fired for poor performance, with his last day listed as Jan. 3, 2023. According to the criminal complaint filed in Kandiyohi County District Court, the club's board, after reviewing the business's financial records following the termination of Wisocki, found suspicious transactions they believed were thefts.

The board members said they believed Wisocki had been stealing from the club using a variety of different methods. All totaled, Wisocki is being charged for obtaining possession of property or services from another, in this case the golf club, in the total amount of $27,911.34, by means of swindle.

State law defines swindle

as "whether by artifice, trick, device, or any other means, obtains property or services from another person."

The charges against Wisocki were filed on Thursday, Dec. 14, and Wisocki has been summoned to appear on the charges, remotely via video, on Jan. 17. Four of the felony theft by swindle counts are for totals over $5,000, and the fifth count alleges theft of more than $1,000 but less than $5,000.

According to the complaint, the golf club board found that a credit card had been issued in the club name but never been reported to the board, and it was never disclosed on any of the financial statements. That card was allegedly used to make payments and purchase products and services unrelated to the golf course or the club's

The Oaks Restaurant

.

During the investigation, the detective working on the case obtained transaction records and talked to the organizations and merchants about the questionable charges. Charges on the card from 2021 and 2022 showed purchases from hockey-related retailers and organizations, sunglasses retailers, and others. The court documents say that this included payments to hockey organizations for tournament fees while Wisocki served as a board member and tournament coordinator for the

Willmar Hockey Association

.

Many of the charges allegedly paid for services and products for Wisocki's private business,

Joe Wisocki Golf

. The court documents say there was some concern that Wisocki was charging customers for club fittings, lessons and retail purchases through his own business, instead of through Eagle Creek. He would also use Eagle Creek as a way to operate his own business.

Willmar Community Golf Club did know about Wisocki's side business and allowed him to operate it while he also worked for the golf club with the understanding it wouldn't conflict with the running of Eagle Creek, according to the court documents.

At the time of Wisocki's termination, the club board did not suspect him of theft and even told Wisocki that when he asked. Instead, they believed the large financial deficits, including owing money on invoices worth more than $100,000, were due to Wisocki's poor management skills, the court documents stated.

It wasn't until the board, following his termination, reviewed the club's financial records on the point of sale system that questions started to arise. As the director of golf, Wisocki was responsible for preparing the annual operating budget for the club and authorizing of expenditures of club funds. In September 2022, when the club was transitioning between financial services providers, the board relied on financial reports prepared by Wisocki.

The court documents said the financial reports Wisocki presented to the board misrepresented the financial situation of the club, which the board thought was fine at first as the reports showed sales were up. However, the board soon became unhappy with the club's financial performance, as they felt it should have been more profitable in past years. Wisocki blamed the poor finances on inflation, food prices and labor prices.

Wisocki has worked as a professional golf manager since 1992. He is currently the

general manager

of

The Wilderness at Fortune Bay

Golf Course in Tower.

Originally from Duluth, Wisocki played high school golf and earned a golf scholarship to Marymount College in Salina, Kansas, according to JoeWisockiGolf.com. He earned a bachelor's degree in business administration from Benedictine College of Kansas.

He has worked as a club professional at golf courses in Salina, Manhattan and Lenexa, Kansas; Vienna, Illinois; Bella Vista, Arizona; Independence, Missouri; Mercersburgh, Pennsylvania; Ringoes, New Jersey; Tower, Minnesota; University Place, Washington; Dinuba, California; and Willmar.