Authorities in Ohio are stepping up efforts to extradite a former controller at a golf club accused of embezzling $883,000 before fleeing the country.
Kinley Lee, 28, who worked at Coldstream Country Club in Anderson Township, and a woman described in court documents as his wife, 33-year-old Katherine Sulky, are believed to be living on Lake Chapala, located about 300 miles west of Mexico City.
The couple left the United States in June 2024, reportedly residing at a property owned by Sulky’s father.
Last year, the Hamilton County judge who is overseeing the civil suit found that Lee and Sulky together stole $871,688 from Coldstream.
Police are intensifying efforts to extradite Kinley Lee, a former golf pro and employee at a Tri-State country club, who is accused of embezzling $883,000 before fleeing to Mexico with his wife.https://t.co/iBI6OB6S6y pic.twitter.com/dQbBu3twLM
— Local 12/WKRC-TV (@Local12) December 30, 2025
Coldstream had previously filed a civil lawsuit against Lee and Sulky, resulting in a $4 million judgment for alleged theft. Under Ohio law, the lawsuit allowed for triple damages. Hamilton County Assistant Prosecutor Andy Berghausen Berghausen told WKYC that prosecutors are seeking only the amount he’s accused of stealing.
Berghausen added that an extradition process has begun.
“We’ve been engaged in that process with the sheriff’s office and the various federal agencies,” Berghausen told the television station. “We’re confident that things are moving forward and progressing to try to get all the necessary paperwork and things in place to bring him back.”
Berghausen declined to provide a timeline for the extradition, saying his office needed help from federal authorities.
Coldstream Country Club sued Lee and Sulky in December 2023, shortly after the alleged theft was discovered.
Lee worked for the country club as its controller for less than a year, according to court documents. According to the complaint, he and Sulky transferred Coldstream’s money to accounts they controlled.
A former Coldstream official, in an affidavit, said Lee also “manipulated wage and reimbursement payments to himself,” significantly increasing his salary.
Lee, a native of Clyde, Texas, attended the University of Arkansas at Monticello and was a star golfer there, according to the university’s website.
He began his job as controller for Coldstream in February 2023 and was paid an annual salary of $95,000.
According to the affidavit, the couple used a cashier’s check for nearly $50,000 to buy a 2022 KIA SUV. Nearly all of the money in the account had been stolen from Coldstream, the complaint alleges.
Christopher McDowell, an attorney for Coldstream, said that the couple would be arrested if they return to the United States.
“It’s just a matter of time,” McDowell said. “He’s never safe.”
If extradited and convicted, Lee faces two to eight years in prison, a fine of up to $15,000, and mandatory restitution.
© 2025 Cox Media Group
