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Ex-head of Prescott Area Habitat For Humanity to spend decades in prison for fraud: YCAO

By
FOX 10 Phoenix
Crime and Public Safety
Published August 4, 2026 11:29 AM MST
Published August 4, 2026 11:29 AM MST

The Brief

    • 62-year-old Karen Marie Northcutt of Dewey was sentenced on Aug. 3 to 62.5 years in prison for fraud and other charges.
    • Northcutt used to be the executive director for the Prescott Area Habitat for Humanity.
    • Prosecutors say Northcutt "used the organization’s bank accounts and credit card accounts to pay her mortgage, utilities, renovate her home, purchase vehicles and numerous other items."

PRESCOTT, Ariz. - Prosecutors in Yavapai County say a 62-year-old woman will spend decades behind bars for stealing money from a non-profit organization that she ran.

What we know:

In a statement released on August 4, officials with the Yavapai County Attorney's Office say Karen Marie Northcutt of Dewey was sentenced on Aug. 3 to 62.5 years behind bars.

Karen Northcutt

Karen Northcutt (Courtesy: Yavapai County Attorney's Office.)

Prosecutors say Northcutt's sentencing came after she was found guilty of the following in a May 2026 trial:

  • Aggravated Taking Identification of Another
  • Fraudulent Schemes and Artifices
  • Money Laundering in the First Degree
  • Tampering with Physical Evidence
  • Theft
  • Trafficking in Stolen Property

The backstory:

Officials say an investigation into the matter began in February 2024, when an anonymous tip was given to the Prescott Area Habitat for Humanity that indicated Northcutt, who was then the executive director for the Prescott Area Habitat for Humanity, was stealing money from the group.

"The investigation revealed that Northcutt used the organization’s bank accounts and credit card accounts to pay her mortgage, utilities, renovate her home, purchase vehicles and numerous other items," prosecutors wrote.

Per the statement, Northcutt also made cash withdrawals exceeding $100,000, and opened up an unauthorized credit card account to which she charged about $187.000.

"A forensic account ultimately determined the loss to Prescott Area Habitat for Humanity was approximately $826,000," read a portion of the statement.

Dig deeper:

According to an Instagram post made by Prescott Police in 2024, it was found that the fraud "started in 2017 and continued until February of 2024." The same post also said that Northcutt was arrested on April 10, 2024, the same day Prescott Police served a search warrant at her home.

We have reached out to the Prescott Area Habitat for Humanity for comment on Northcutt's sentencing.

The Source: Information for this article was gathered from a statement released by the Yavapai County Attorney's Office. This story was reported on from Phoenix.

Crime and Public SafetyPrescottNews