Educational Media Foundation (K-Love/Air 1) Engineer Sued for Misappropriation of Funds
The lawsuit claims Shane Toven used over $100,000 for personal expenses.
The Association of Professional Radio Engineers (APRE) has filed a suit against Shane Toven, a senior broadcast engineer employed by Educational Media Foundation (EMF).
The suit, filed in federal court in California on December 8, claims Toven misappropriated more than $100,000 during his tenure as treasurer of the professional group, Radio World reported.
“Between 2018 and 2022, Toven misappropriated $108,467.62 of APRE’s money in total,” the suit says.
EMF is a Christian media company, operating two of the nation’s largest contemporary Christian radio networks, K-LOVE and Air1. It is also parent company to WTA Media, which markets and finances faith-based films such as Jesus Revolution.
EMF confirmed Toven’s employment at the company on Friday, December 15.
“Mr. Toven is taking some time away to manage his personal affairs. This matter is unrelated to his employment at EMF,” Bethany Davis, senior vice president of communications, added in response to an inquiry by MinistryWatch.
Toven also served as editor of Radio Magazine from 2014 to 2015. His LinkedIn profile has been deactivated.
According to the suit, the matter came to light in December 2022 when APRE discovered personal charges on its Wells Fargo checking account. “APRE made inquiries to Toven about the purchases and Toven did not respond,” the lawsuit claims.
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After the board of APRE discussed the matter at its January 2023 meeting, the president allegedly asked Toven about the charges again without successfully getting a response.
“Shortly thereafter, [the] vice president of the board of APRE reviewed the bank statements from APRE’s checking account at Wells Fargo for several years prior. At that point, in early 2023, APRE learned that Toven had been misappropriating substantial sums of money from APRE’s checking account going all the way back to 2018.”
The lawsuit asserts that Toven used money from the APRE’s checking account not only to make payments on his personal credit cards but also for small purchases like meals at fast food restaurants.
APRE claims it sent two letters to Toven seeking an explanation about the funds discrepancy and warning him of legal action, but received no reply.
Toven has not yet filed a response to the suit with the court.
In the MinistryWatch database, EMF has an “A” transparency grade, a donor confidence score of 84, and two out of five stars for financial efficiency.
Main photo: Shane Toven / Video screenshot via GFQ Network
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