Former CMU club baseball president and fraternity leader, Elliott Darr, was sentenced to 30 days in the Isabella County Jail on Monday, July 20 after pleading guilty to two felony embezzlement charges involving more than $27,000 stolen from club baseball and Alpha Kappa Psi co-ed business fraternity (Zeta Xi chapter) .

“Because of Elliott’s actions we almost didn’t have a season,” Central Michigan University club baseball president Ben Sermo told an Isabella County judge during Darr’s sentencing, describing how the theft nearly derailed the team’s season.

Isabella County Circuit Judge Sara Spencer-Noggle also sentenced Darr to 24 months of probation and ordered him to pay fines and restitution exceeding $10,000 for each felony. Darr could have faced up to five years in prison on each of the two felony embezzlement charges.

"You took advantage of people who trusted you, despite you needing money for school, you were getting things you wanted, not needed," she said. "You just wanted a lifestyle you couldn’t afford.”

Detective Sarah Cuthbertson picked up this case after members of the club baseball team contacted CMUPD in October 2025 after discovering about $11,000 in unauthorized purchases made with the organization’s debit card.

Investigators said Darr, who had access to the team’s debit card while serving in a leadership role, used organization funds for personal expenses over several months.

Those purchases included rent, tuition, vehicle expenses, gasoline, groceries, fast food and veterinary bills for Darr’s dog.

After obtaining banking records through search warrants, Cuthbertson said investigators found “pages and pages of unauthorized charges.”

“There was some travel between here and his hometown that was very distinct, that showed it was him, not somebody else," Cuthbertson said. "Also his rent, no one else is going to use the card to pay his rent.”

Cuthbertson said the evidence quickly pointed investigators toward Darr as the person responsible.

“Once I was able to get the records, it was pretty cut and dry that it was him,” she said.

While investigating the baseball team’s complaint, detectives received another report from Alpha Kappa Psi after the fraternity’s newly elected president reviewed its financial records and found unexplained transactions.

Central Michigan Life contacted multiple current members of Alpha Kappa Psi seeking comment on the case, but did not receive a response before publication.

Police determined approximately $16,724 had been improperly taken from fraternity funds through credit card payments, rent, groceries, ATM withdrawals, veterinary bills and other personal expenses.

The two investigations became connected after detectives discovered Darr had lived at two residences managed by the same property company, allowing them to trace rent payments made from both organizations’ accounts.

Sermo told the court that Darr’s actions nearly ended the baseball team’s season because the stolen money was needed for travel and operating costs.

“While he kept stealing, he portrayed someone who we thought we could trust,” Sermo said.

Sermo said teammates confronted Darr after discovering financial discrepancies, but Darr attempted to reassure them by providing screenshots claiming payments had been made. Sermo said those screenshots were later found to be false.

Jasmine Brookins

The Central Michigan University Club Baseball team sits and talks while Purdue warms up their new pitcher at the baseball game at Keilitz Field at Theunissen Stadium on Saturday, April 25, 2026. (CM-Life | Jasmine Brookins)

“I thought he was part of the family,” Sermo said. “He wasn’t just another player. He was the president.”

Prosecutors argued Darr’s actions represented a continued abuse of authority rather than a single mistake.

Darr apologized during sentencing and asked the court for another opportunity.

“I made a lot of mistakes and it doesn’t show who I truly am as a person,” Darr said. “I would love a second chance.”

Darr's attorney, John Melton, described him as “a young man who made a mistake and owned up to it,” and said that Darr is “a good man with a bright future.”

Spencer-Noggle said jail time was necessary, adding that Darr’s financial struggles did not excuse repeatedly stealing from organizations funded by student dues and fundraising.

“You stole from nonprofits,” the judge said. “It’s a terrible situation.”

Lt. Jason VanConant with CMUPD said financial crimes involving student organizations are not unusual, but the amount stolen in Darr’s case was among the larger cases he has seen.

“I think this was one of the higher amounts,” he said. “A lot of these organizations don’t have that kind of money. That’s what they depend on to keep themselves afloat.”