Updated, 4:20 p.m., with comment from APSU.

CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – The former track and field coach at Austin Peay State University has pleaded guilty to attempted theft and agreed to repay the university $30,600 in misappropriated money.

Douglas Molnar, who served as head coach from September 2004 until June 2019, was arrested April 1 on felony charges and pleaded guilty today to felony attempted theft of property over $10,000, according to a news release from the Tennessee Comptroller’s Office.

Investigators determined that Molnar misappropriated APSU funds totaling at least $30,600.45, the release said.

“The vast majority of the misappropriated money was collected and turned over to Molnar during track and cross country fundraiser events hosted between 2015 and 2018,” the release said. “These fundraisers included several athletic events in which participants were charged entry fees. At least $29,775 that was collected during these events should have been deposited into a APSU bank account; however, investigators discovered that Molnar retained this money for his personal benefit.”

Molnar also filed fraudulent travel claims totaling $600, the release said, and he diverted a money order payable to APSU totaling $225.45 into a bank account he controlled.

He deposited some of the money into a joint checking account and a “Douglas Molnar, DBA Tennessee Athletic Project” account that he controlled. Twenty-one of the deposited checks were made payable to APSU, the release said.

After today’s guilty plea, the court granted judicial diversion, placed Molnar on four years of supervised state probation, and ordered him to pay restitution of $30,600.45.

A former distance runner, Molnar came to Austin Peay from Texas-Pan American, where he led the cross country squads to a top-10 regional finish in 2003, according to his bio from APSU Sports Information.

“We appreciate that Austin Peay officials reported these allegations to our office,” said Comptroller Jason Mumpower in the release. “As a result of these findings, we encourage the university to ensure that fundraiser collections from track and cross country events are turned over for deposit to university accounts. Collected amounts should also be reconciled with deposits to reduce the chance of misappropriation.”

APSU officials said the Athletics Department has taken steps to keep this from happening again.

“This is an unfortunate situation that began in 2015 and ended in 2018,” APSU spokesman Bill Persinger told Clarksville Now. “We are pleased that it was caught and that the funds taken will be repaid to the University.

“Since that time, we have hired a chief financial officer for Athletics and have also put several controls in place to prevent situations like this in the future,” he said.

If you suspect fraud, waste, or abuse of public money in the state of Tennessee, call the Comptroller’s toll-free hotline at 800-232-5454, or file a report online at: tncot.cc/fraud. Follow us on twitter @TNCOT and Instagram @tncot.

Correction: While the state news release said Molnar’s charge was theft, court records list “attempted theft.” The article has been updated.