BERLIN, MD - Tiffany Knupp, the mother of fatal hit-and-run victim Gavin Knupp, has been charged with multiple counts of embezzlement and theft in Worcester County.
According to court documents, Tiffany Knupp, of Berlin, was issued a criminal summons Tuesday, June 25th, on 9 charges.
Knupp’s son, Gavin, was killed in a hit-and-run on July 11th, 2022. Tiffany Knupp later launched the Gavin Knupp Foundation, a non-profit organization created to provide scholarship opportunities and provide community support for local youth. In January of 2023, the Foundation announced a scholarship available to two children to attend skateboard and action sports camp Camp Woodward in Pennsylvania.
The Gavin Knupp Foundation’s website displays tracked donations, with the latest update on February 21st, 2023 showing the Foundation had raised over $47,000. The same website claims the Foundation had donated just over $8,000 as of the same date.
According to charging documents acquired by WBOC, Maryland State Police received a report on December 29th, 2023 that Knupp was embezzling from the Foundation. Investigators say that Knupp declared under oath earlier that month that the Foundation had granted her permission to use Foundation funds to pay her personal lawyer in her divorce proceedings.
According to charging documents, the Foundation board told investigators none of the board members had authorized the personal use of the Foundation funds.
Additionally, prosecutors say Shaka Pool Bar in Ocean City had raised $3,200 in a fundraiser for Carter Figgs, a 16-year-old Delmar football player who was killed in a car crash in October 2023. The funds were given to Knupp to be donated to the Gavin Knupp Foundation, according to charging documents, but investigators say no cash deposits were made to the Foundation between May 19, 2023 and January 9th, 2024.
Prosecutors also claim Knupp deposited funds from Shirts Fast LLC, which was responsible for producing merchandise for the Foundation, into her own account when it should have been deposited in the Foundation’s bank account.
In total, investigators say Knupp stole a total of $12,625 from the Gavin Knupp Foundation and Shaka Pool Bar.
“Tiffany Knupp was entrusted with overseeing the Gavin Knupp Foundation, but it is clear that she betrayed that trust,” charging documents read.
In an exclusive interview with WBOC Wednesday afternoon, Knupp's attorney said Knupp believes these allegations stem from ongoing issues with her ex.
"Tiffany is a person who has stood up in her life for others," Thomas Maronick Jr., Knupp's attorney, said on her behalf. "She has faced overwhelming pain and then more than a year of media attention following her son’s death while she’s worked to be the best mother she can be, a strong advocate for the community, a business owner and friend to many. Under Tiffany’s leadership the Foundation has donated thousands of dollars to families in need and continues to support local families of those who have lost children."
Maronick says the charges are "completely bogus," insisting Knupp is innocent and that she will fight the allegations fervently.
WBOC reached out to Ray Knupp, Gavin's father, who said he had nothing to do with the allegations against Tiffany. Knupp says while he was called in for questioning during the investigation, he did not know the extent of the charges and did not call Maryland State Police on his ex. Ray Knupp expressed exasperation with Tiffany's lawyer referencing him in Wednesday's interview with WBOC, calling it "lies and damage control."
Knupp’s first court date is scheduled for July 23rd at the District Court for Worcester County in Snow Hill.
This is a developing story. WBOC will continue to provide updates as they become available.
