Discrepancies Discovered During St. Peters, St. Charles Chamber Merger Lead to Arrest

Former St. Peters Chamber of Commerce President Edward L. Weeks Jr. was charged Tuesday with one count of stealing in St. Charles County Circuit Court. 

The charges from the accusation that Weeks paid himself money out of the Chamber's bank account. He is being accused of writing checks from the Chamber and depositing the money in his own personal account. The total amount of money that changed hand is said to be more than $177,000. 

In an email to members of the Greater St. Charles County Chamber of Commerce, President and CEO of the Chamber Scott Tate said the discrepancies might not have been noticed had the St. Peters and St. Charles Chambers not decided to merge. 

Tate's full message to Chamber members is below:

Dear Chamber Member:

Some of you may be aware of a situation that transpired yesterday evening that is now hitting the media. Ed Weeks, the former President & CEO of the St. Peters Chamber of Commerce, has been arrested and charged with stealing from the St. Peters Chamber of Commerce.

In reviewing some of the agreements with vendors following the merger, it is alleged that some suspicious items were found in the financials by a board member of the now defunct St. Peters Chamber of Commerce and turned over to investigators. I am not able to comment regarding the case at this time due to the ongoing investigation, but believe that this discovery may not have .

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call me. We hope to have this matter resolved as soon as possible.

Thank you for your continued support.

Scott Tate, President & CEO

Weeks was on the St. Peters Chamber for 10 years before resigning in November 2011. Shortly after his resignation, the St. Peters Chamber decided to merge with the St. Charles Chamber to form the Greater St. Charles County Chamber of Commerce