COEUR d'ALENE — Idaho Transportation Department business manager Scott Fellom is facing felony grand theft and forgery charges.

According to court documents, Fellom, an employee of ITD's District I bureau in Coeur d'Alene, is accused of embezzling $13,363.85 in forged checks from the Sunset Ridge Homeowners Association.

Fellom was the treasurer of the Post Falls-based group, which overlooks Columbine Court and Yarrow Court near Chase Road and Poleline Avenue.

An ITD spokesman told The Press Friday that Fellom is on unpaid administrative leave pending the outcome of a case. He's been on leave since the first week of January, ITD said.

Attempts to reach Fellom for comment were unsuccessful.

The complainant, Sunset Ridge HOA president Matthew Erickson, reached out to authorities last Oct. 28. Charges were filed Jan. 4. Fellom was never arrested.

According to the incident report, Fellom admitted the fraud to investigators, saying he forged the signatures of Erickson and Jerry Thiel, a member and former president.

When investigators showed Fellom a chart of the HOA's unauthorized withdrawals dating back to 2011, he was asked to put a star near every legitimate transaction in that span. He didn't put a star near any, according to the report.

Many of the withdrawals, Fellom said in the report, were to pay a personal IRS lien.

"I asked Scott how he kept this all from the HOA board," the Post Falls Police investigator's report read. "Scott said he did the financial reports and didn't include that money. Scott believed that he probably filled out the checks involved at his house. He admitted that he maintained the HOA records at his house and to cashing the checks at the Mountain West branch in Post Falls."

The incident report noted Fellom told investigators he admitted the withdrawals to the HOA and asked if he should pay them back.

Fellom, Sunset Ridge HOA's treasurer since 2000, has a preliminary hearing Feb. 21.