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Beloved Texas GatorFest rocked by former director's indictment
A Chambers County official has turned herself in to authorities following a felony charge connected to the theft of up to $150,000 in funds from a longstanding fundraiser in the community known as Texas GatorFest.
Katelynn Smith, 32, was booked in the Chambers County Jail early Saturday morning after a grand jury found her guilty of misapplication of fiduciary property. She had previously served as the executive director of the Anahuac Area Chamber of Commerce since 2020.
Gatorfest, located at Fort Anahuac Park, has been a longstanding Southeast Texas tradition since 1989. Hosted by the Anahuac Area Chamber of Commerce (AACC), it has been called a "cornerstone" event that brings in up to half a million dollars into the community each year, according to website archives.
Smith's arrest comes months after the event, scheduled for September, was canceled in April amid allegations of credit card fraud within the chamber of commerce.
According to the Seabreeze Beacon, the chamber's finances came under scrutiny after a business credit card opened in the former executive director's name, Robbie King, was allegedly never closed when Smith took over in 2020.
The account continued to remain active, racking up to $20,000 in unpaid charges up until the former director began to receive notices that her personal credit score had been impacted. That information was then brought to the sheriff's office.
Two additional credit cards were discovered to have been allegedly opened by Smith, one in the name of the chamber of commerce and the other for Texas Gatorfest. Both cards were reportedly also maxed out, with a total estimated owed to be around $60,000, according to the Seabreeze Beacon.
Chambers County Sheriff Brian Hawthorne told Chron that the connection between these allegations and Smith directly is due to her responsibility in "paying the Chambers bills" as executive director. Hawthorne also added that there were more than two cards discovered in the investigation but did not elaborate further.
Both the Chamber of Commerce and GatorFest acknowledged the allegations in separate social media posts earlier this year.
"Our priority remains transparency, accountability, and ensuring long-term success and integrity of Texas GATORFEST," wrote event chairman Willie Lancon after announcing the cancellation of the event.
The AACC put out its own statement a few weeks later, announcing that the entire board of directors would be resigning.
"This decision was made voluntarily, not out of obligation, but out of love for this community and genuine desire to see the chamber grow and succeed," states a May 14 release.
According to the chamber's most recent publicly available tax filing in Dec. 2022, seven members were listed as directors of the board.
In an interview with 12News over the weekend, Chambers County Sheriff Brian told media that this is still an active investigation and suggested it may extend beyond the allegations already made public.
"We're more concerned that this is just the tip of the iceberg," said Hawthorne, noting that they are still waiting for some of the financial records they have field subpoenas for.
Smith reportedly resigned from the chamber in May as more information surrounding the allegations came out.
Multiple posts over the years on the chamber's social profiles spoke highly of Smith. As a lifelong resident of Anahuac, the chamber referred to her as the "powerhouse behind the AACC."
In a Facebook post dating back to 2023, the chamber outlined her role as being the sole employee of the chamber, orchestrating "all office operations, event organization, and every other essential function that keeps AACC and Texas GATORFEST thriving."
Smith has been released from custody, according to arrest records. She could not be reached for comment by the time of publication.
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