Ex-Lake Tahoe Humane Society director leaves town, no charges filed yet

Submitted by paula on Fri, 06/30/2017 - 12:16am

Former executive director of the Lake Tahoe Humane Society moved out of South Lake Tahoe over the weekend, leaving many in the community questioning the timing after she was fired on March 31 amidst accusations of misappropriation of agency funds.

Niki Congero moved out of her rental home because she was given a 60-day notice to vacate May 4. The owner of the home wanted to use it for his purposes, according to Realty World, the property management company.

The non-profit's board of directors suspended Congero on March 14, 2017 after suspicious charges appeared on the Humane Society's bank statements. The board says there were cash advances made on their account by Congero at Dotty's Casino and CVS in Stateline.

The South Lake Tahoe Police Department is investigating those claims by looking at bank statements, watching film from local casinos and other financial materials. They served a search warrant on her home June 1, retrieving some boxes of paperwork.

Detective Barry Rider is actively working on the case according to SLTPD Lt. Shannon Laney. Laney said these type of investigations take time as they have to have a case court-ready should they find cause to arrest Congero.

Acting Humane Society Director Judy Brown said they cannot comment until the investigation is over, but Congero's lawyer Adam Spicer and Congero made comments after she moved out of South Lake Tahoe.

'We wanted to stay in Tahoe but the truth is there is no where to rent,'said Congero. "So Arty (her husband) had a business opportunity with and old friend, figured it was time to move on. It had nothing to do with the Lake Tahoe Humane Society."

Spicer confirmed that they moved to the mid-west to pursue a job for Arty.

In the meantime, the Lake Tahoe Humane Society is working to keep their doors open for the animals of the community. They are located at 884 Emerald Bay Road in South Lake Tahoe. For more information, visit their website www.laketahoehumanesociety.org/.