OSHKOSH − A man accused of draining his theater group’s bank accounts of more than $15,000 could avoid being convicted of a felony for theft.
Former Oshkosh Community Players President Justin Drabek agreed to pay $4,585.98 in restitution after entering a deferred adjudication agreement in hopes of having the felony charge dismissed.
Drabek pleaded no contest before Judge Michael Rust to theft in a business setting during a July 8 plea hearing in Winnebago County Circuit Court.
According to court documents, Drabek, 42, must pay $3,000 toward restitution before entering the agreement and has 18 months to pay the full sum of $4,585.98 for the charge to be dismissed.
In a deferred adjudication agreement, judges pause the case and allow defendants to meet particular criteria set by the court in a probationary period instead of handing down a typical sentence.
How Justin Drabek could avoid a felony conviction
The agreement further stipulates that Drabek must:
Drabek faces sentencing if he fails to comply with the stipulated conditions.
What Justin Drabek is accused of in Oshkosh Community Players case
The case first made headlines when Drabek failed to appear for his initial appearance Sept. 15, prompting court commissioner Eric Heywood to issue a warrant for his arrest.
Authorities finally took him into custody Nov. 4.
In the criminal complaint, a detective determined Drabek wrote checks to himself from the middle of the group’s checkbooks and made transactions at OnlyFans, Lion’s Den Adult Toy Store, Allegiant Air, Airbnb, Uber, Reptile Palace and Pete’s Garage.
Court documents show the situation came to light in November 2024 when Drabek, then president, left Oshkosh and told the group he would be back in a week because he was dealing with family matters in Michigan.
Oshkosh Community Players then received notices of unpaid bills and complaints of outstanding debt, most notably from an unpaid playwright.
Drabek was the only authorized user with a debit card for both the checking and savings accounts, with him telling the then-treasurer “he would still handle everything” when she became the group’s treasurer.
Board members eventually allowed the treasurer access to the bank account and law enforcement was told in February 2025 that $56 was in the checking account and $6 in the savings account.
Oshkosh Community Players told police the community theater group should have had balances of around $6,000 and $10,000 in the checking and savings accounts, respectively.
Law enforcement noted authorized expenses from Zoom, Secura Insurance, U-Haul, Menards, True Value and Dramatist, but said Drabek spent $29,841.98 on expenses not related to the group’s productions between January 2024 and February 2025.
The criminal complaint states Drabek admitted to the personal expenses in a subsequent phone call with authorities, saying he couldn’t meet because he was living in Michigan.
Acknowledging “what he did was wrong,” Drabek said he did not receive permission to use the account for personal expenses but said he believed he was responsible for only $4,000, despite admitting to each transaction listed by police.
Drabek said he was “going through a bad relationship, strapped for cash and he wanted to maintain an illusion he was doing okay with everybody,” adding that he was “going to take care of this.”
He also said he “tends to make the mistake of mixing up the cards with his personal cards” and would make a note to pay back the account.
Contact Justin Marville at jmarville@usatodayco.com and follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @justinmarville.
This article originally appeared on Oshkosh Northwestern: Oshkosh theater theft case could end without felony conviction
Reporting by Justin Marville, Oshkosh Northwestern / Oshkosh Northwestern
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Justin Marville, Oshkosh Northwestern | USA TODAY Network
