Former Fishers swim coach once again facing federal charges

A former Fishers High School swim coach previously sentenced to federal prison for stealing from Nashville, Tenn.-area churches is now facing a new set of federal charges on allegations of passing bad bills at a minor league baseball game in Ohio.

Kenneth J. Stopkotte, 52, is being held in the Montgomery County Jail in Ohio after being arrested at a Dayton Dragons minor league baseball game on suspicion of forgery, theft and receiving stolen property, according to court documents.

But records now show his case is being handled by federal authorities after a criminal complaint was filed in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio for the offenses of uttering counterfeit obligations or securities and dealing in counterfeit obligations or securities. 

According to federal court documents filed Thursday, Stopkotte was detained by Dayton police officers Wednesday night when he tried to use counterfeit $20 bills at concession stands inside the baseball stadium.

A total of 37 fake $20 bills were collected by stadium staff during the game, according to court documents. Police were led to Stopkotte as he tried to use another fake bill at a vendor.

When taken into custody, police said Stopkotte was in possession of two counterfeit bills that matched the others collected by stadium staff.

GQ vs. Vonnegut:GQ piece says you shouldn't read Kurt Vonnegut's 'Slaughterhouse-Five' and the Bible

Romeo on the rise:Romeo Langford is bigger than Shakespeare (on Google)

Court documents said Stopkotte was also in possession of seven debit cards bearing the names Donald Brush and Donny Brush. Stopkotte said that Brush is a friend of his and his lessor for his Indiana residence.

Stopkotte then told police the cards were mailed to him and that he took them without Brush's permission.

When speaking to police, Stopkotte said that he traveled from Indiana to Dayton to watch "a Reds prospect pitcher," court documents said. He then said he bought his ticket from a scalper using a $100 bill, and said that the fake bills in his possession must have been given to him by the scalper when he got change.

However, stadium staff members all identified Stopkotte as the person who gave them the bills. Police then found two plastic bags containing another 52 fake $20 bills hidden under a refrigerator in the lower section of the stadium.

This is the same area that Stopkotte was first stopped by officers.

When confronted about the rest of the money, Stopkotte is quoted in court documents saying, "I want to cooperate." He then explains to police that he is on federal probation for money laundering and bank fraud, referencing his 2015 sentence for stealing more than $180,000 in donations from churches in Nashville.

Stopkotte said after serving 37 months in federal prison, he bought about 200 counterfeit $20 bills on the dark web site "Dream Market," court documents said. He said before coming to Dayton, he used the bills at a hockey game in Arizona. He then admitted to trying to hide the bags of money under the refrigerator as police approached him at the game.

Stopkotte admitted to having more bills hidden at his home in Unionville, Ind. Those bills were soon recovered by federal agents in Indiana. Stopkotte was then booked into jail.

He appeared in court Friday, and has a detention hearing scheduled for Monday.

Stopkotte founded the Fishers Area Swimming Tigers when Fishers High School opened in 2006. The program won the 2010 Long Course State Age Group Team Championship, and Stopkotte was named the High School Boys Coach of the Year after the team finished fifth. The girls finished 12th in the state.

He resigned as the coach of FAST and the Fishers High School swim teams in August 2010.

Call IndyStar reporter Justin L. Mack at (317) 444-6138. Follow him on Twitter: @justinlmack.