Wisconsin husband, wife accused of stealing $400K from masonic lodge
Husband, wife accused of stealing $400K from masonic lodge
Tyler and Katie Kristopeit of Muskego are accused of stealing nearly $500,000 from a former Whitefish Bay masonic lodge to fund luxury cars and personal expenses.
MILWAUKEE - The former treasurer of a now-closed suburban masonic lodge, and his wife are accused of stealing nearly $500,000 and using it on personal expenses, including the purchase of a luxury car.
Tyler Kristopeit, Katie Kristopeit
Accused of theft, conspiracy to launder money
What we know:
Tyler Kristopeit, 37, and Katie Kristopeit, 38, both of Muskego, are charged with conspiracy to commit theft from a business setting and conspiracy to launder money in excess of $100,000.
The couple appeared in court Friday afternoon, April 17. A court commissioner gave both Tyler and Katie Kristopeit a $10,000 signature bond, and ordered them not to have any contact with the George Washington Masonic Lodge, its officers or members. The two are due back in court later this month for a bond review hearing.
George Washington Masonic Lodge
Attorneys for the couple are not commenting.
What's in the court filings?
The backstory:
Tyler Kristopeit, a member of the George Washington Lodge since 2009, served as the group's secretary-treasurer since 2016, when it operated in Whitefish Bay, according to criminal and civil filings. The former realtor was involved with the October 2025 $2 million sale of the property to Sendik’s for its grocery store expansion, according to court filings.
Prosecutors say days before the sale closed, Kristopeit opened a bank account and wired more than $675,000 from the sale into the account, of which more than $470,000 was transferred out, including to personal accounts for both him and his wife. Court filings say of the total money wired in after the sale, only $201,000 remains.
Tyler Kristopeit
Court records show the Kristopeits used the money to purchase a Mercedes-Benz, lease another Mercedes, pay back personal loans to family members, and $62,000 in card transactions.
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Court filings say nearly $270,000 was transferred into Katie Kristopeit’s account over a six-month period, of which only $20 remained, as of March 2026. Some of the purchases from her account include Amazon payments, food and salon purchases, groceries, rental payments, and a recurring subscription for a pet camera.
In March 2026, filings say Kristopeit was removed as secretary/treasurer, and ordered to turn over all the fraternal group’s financial records and paperwork.
The couple was arrested on Monday at their Muskego home.
Katie Kristopeit interview
What they're saying:
In an interview with investigators, filings say Katie Kristopeit was very calm and said "…they were waiting for something like this (arrest) to happen," according to court filings. Kristopeit said her husband hired an attorney earlier this year after he was ordered to turn over the masonic lodge, didn’t deny he stole from the lodge, didn’t say when he started stealing, but "things just got out of control for him, and he didn’t know why he started stealing from the lodge."
Katie Kristopeit
Katie Kristopeit told investigators her husband told her the wire transfers were reimbursements, according to court records, and denied knowing the money into her accounts was from the masonic lodge, despite bank records showing the money came from the lodge account.
Wisconsin Freemasons file lawsuit
Also on Friday, the lodge filed a civil lawsuit in Waukesha County against Tyler & Katie Kristopeit, alleging a loss of more than $1 million.
According to a civil complaint, the lawsuit claims Kristopeit and his wife, Katie, "intentionally took and carried away (the lodge’s) property" resulting in damages of more than $1 million.
Filings say Kristopeit told the lodge that it had nearly $1 million in investment assets, but the lodge could never verify the existence of the investment accounts.
The George Washington 1776 Lodge #337 F. & A.M. and its governing authority, The Grand Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons of Wisconsin, are asking for a Waukesha County judge to prevent the Kristopeits from liquidating assets they have, award damages at trial, establish a trust to oversee funds taken from the lodge and attorneys fees.
Employment history of Kristopeits
Dig deeper:
It’s unclear what Tyler Kristopeit’s current employment is. At a court hearing Friday, his attorney said he works as a consultant for non-profits. State records show that on April 3 of this year, Kristopeit incorporated ViaMedia.Tech, LLC with the state. Registry information shows the website for ViaMedia.Tech was registered in March 2025 in Wisconsin, which links to a stock website template.
Tyler Kristopeit, Katie Kristopeit
State records show Tyler Kristopeit was issued a realtor license in 2017, and in 2021 was working as a real estate agent in Mequon. But records show the license expired in 2024. In an interview with investigators, Katie Kristopeit said her husband had not done well in real estate sales, "recently switched to the commercial side," and she only makes around $60,000 a year in her job.
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Open-source records show Katie Kristopeit worked as an executive assistant at the School District of New Berlin for the chief financial officer. As of Thursday, April 16, her name and position still appeared on district web pages. But as of April 17, her name’s since been removed. It’s unclear if she is still employed by the district. Multiple messages to the district have gone unreturned.
Statement of School District of New Berlin
What they're saying:
The following message was sent to School District of New Berlin families and staff from Superintendent Joe Garza:
"Good afternoon SDNB families and staff,
"I am writing to you with an important message regarding one of our staff members.
"Last week, we learned that one of our District Office employees had been arrested, and while the details of the arrest were scarce, the employee was immediately placed on administrative leave pending further investigation. Subsequently, we learned the employee was charged with conspiracy to commit theft-business setting and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
"This is a personnel matter and there is limited information we can share, but we wanted the SDNB community to know that we are aware of the situation, we are actively working to ensure the safety and security of the District, and that we will work collaboratively with authorities in any capacity, if needed.
"That said, we also want our community to know that the arrest and subsequent charges are not at all related to the employee’s position within the District. We are still gathering information and learning facts, but we thank you for your understanding as we work through this difficult situation."
The Source: Information in this post was provided by Wisconsin Circuit Court Access and the criminal complaint associated with this case.