Willowbrook Country Club will likely owe between $500,000 and $700,000 in payroll taxes and interest to the IRS, according to meeting minutes of the club’s board of directors.
Westmoreland County detectives charged Laurie Voyten, the club’s former office manager, with not paying Willowbrook’s federal payroll taxes since 2017 and likely being responsible for the theft of more than $300,000 of missing club funds.
Willowbrook President Scott Getty declined to answer questions about the club’s repayment to the IRS and directors’ oversight of club finances.
Matthew Prather, an attorney representing the club, also declined to comment, citing the active criminal investigation. He said the club has “fully cooperated with the authorities, we are pleased with the efforts of law enforcement, and we trust that the criminal justice system will prevail.”
The meeting minutes obtained by TribLive show the club — located in Allegheny Township — has already committed $300,000 toward its liability to the IRS, though the club was still waiting for a “final determination” from the agency as of late March.
It’s unclear if a firmer number has emerged since then.
The $700,000 figure only covers the years of owed taxes and accrued interest, the minutes said. Penalties on top of that could add around another $500,000 to the club’s bill, though the minutes mentioned that Willowbrook is pursuing penalty abatement.
Willowbrook has “begun discussions with financial institutions regarding potential funding options” for the repayment, according to the minutes.
In addition to tax issues, police said Voyten had not been paying vendors.
Minutes show that the club paid about $670,000 for a full reconciliation of vendor balances, some of which dated back to 2020.
Another document mentions the club had filed local tax returns back from 2018 at a cost of around $70,000.
The club, according to the minutes, is taking a “three-pronged” approach to addressing the financial troubles: getting right with the IRS, investigating the issues and making corrections and repayments.
In terms of corrections, the minutes mention that the club has implemented a new payroll system that outsources tax filing and now has a “cashless” and automatic check deposit system.
Minutes also mention that the club had consolidated and simplified its bank accounts.
After an internal review, the minutes say, the club hired forensic accountant Jim Loeffler to review the finances.
Loeffler located about $300,000 in unaccounted cash between 2020 and 2025.
The minutes say the club is not formally accusing anyone of theft.
“The club’s position, as stated during the meeting, is that approximately $300,000 in cash is unaccounted for, that one individual exercised principal control over most of that cash,” the minutes said.
Police identified that person as Voyten.
Voyten, 57, of Parks Township, is charged with theft by failure to make required disposition of funds, theft by unlawful taking, tampering with public records and several related misdemeanors.
When the club treasurer scheduled a meeting with Voyten last year, she did not appear and resigned from her post over the phone, according to the criminal complaint filed against her.
Reviewing security camera footage from the club, the treasurer observed Voyten carrying boxes and trash bags of shredded documents out of the club to her car around 3 a.m. for several weeks before the meeting, the complaint said.
Voyten’s preliminary hearing is set for June 23. Her attorney, Scott Bitar, did not immediately respond to a TribLive request for comment.
The minutes mention that club lawyers had researched potential insurance policies that could help the club with its payments. The club also discussed — before charges were filed against Voyten — pursuing restitution if criminal charges were filed.
Allegheny Township Tax Collector Valerie Hassa said the club was current on its property taxes.