NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — A Norfolk man convicted of embezzling money from the Little Theatre of Norfolk was sentenced to nine months in jail on Friday.
In February of 2025, 45-year-old Christopher Marcus Bernhardt pleaded guilty to felony embezzlement, felony issuing of bad checks and failing to appear in court after stealing $27,000 while serving as the treasurer of the theater.
A release from the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office states that between October 2020 and April 2022, Bernhardt would make several checks out to himself from the nonprofit’s bank account, pocketed cash deposits belonging to the nonprofit and conducted multiple bank fund transfers from the nonprofit’s account — ultimately totaling up to $27,000 stolen from the nonprofit.
After initially being confronted about the incident by officers at the nonprofit in 2022, Bernhardt promised to return the funds through monthly installments, all while knowing he did not have the proper funds within his account. In November, Bernhardt wrote a $3,000 check for his colleagues.
Shortly after the $3,000 check bounced, the bank notified Bernhardt of the returned check and demanded that he corrects the issue with certified funds — something Bernhardt ended up never doing, according to the release.
“The organization eventually found out about what the defendant had done, tried to resolve it with the defendant without involving law and were unable to…” said Norfolk Commonwealth’s Attorney Ramin Fatehi.
Following the incident, Bernhardt was reported to the Norfolk Police and was charged with felony embezzlement and felony issuing of a bad check. In April 17, 2023, Bernhardt failed to appear in court for a preliminary hearing, which resulted in an additional warrant for felony failure to appear.
In August of 2024, Bernhardt took a plea deal requiring him to make regularly scheduled payments of full restitution plus interest to the nonprofit within two years. Once completed, Bernhardt’s charges would have been reduced to misdemeanor charges. The judge presiding over the case, Judge Robert B. Rigney accepted the plea and set a review for February of 2025.
“We agreed, reluctantly, but agreed to offer the defendant a chance to avoid a felony conviction. partly because he really didn’t have a prior record to speak of, but mainly because we wanted to offer an incentive for the defendant to make the victim whole,” Fatehi said.
During the review in February, it was found that Bernhardt did not pay any of the restitution. Bernhardt was then found guilty on all charges and was placed back in custody.
“If someone who steals from their employer has it resolved quietly, they move on to another employer, and that employer doesn’t know what the person’s history is,” Fatehi said. “… One of the big purposes of prosecuting folks who have embezzled is so that they have a criminal record, not to mark them and make them unemployable. Everybody should work, but somebody who hires them is able to make an informed decision.”
On Friday, May 2, Bernhardt was sentenced to a total of nine months in jail. Another five years and four months was suspended on the condition Bernhardt completes three years of uniform good behavior and begins repaying the stolen funds to the nonprofit. The Commonwealth recommended a sentence above the normal guidelines due to the seriousness of the offense.
“A case like Mr. Bernhardt’s shows why sentencing guidelines are not mandatory: One size does not fit all, and while some people deserve a break, others deserve a heavier sanction than the average,” said Fatehi. “Mr. Bernhardt abused his position of trust at the victim institution and put the institution into serious trouble. We and the Court offered Mr. Bernhardt a chance to help the victim recover in exchange for avoiding a felony conviction. He did not take that chance, and so he will now serve his time in custody instead.”
The Little Theatre of Norfolk has not publicly commented on the case.
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