OSHKOSH – A man accused of draining his theater group’s bank accounts of more than $15,000 is looking to pay back a portion of that money.
Justin Drabek’s sentencing hearing for felony theft in a business setting has been held over by two months after the former Oshkosh Community Players president submitted a restitution request for $5,044.58.
The hearing is now scheduled for July 8 in Winnebago County Circuit Court, with the prosecution to deliberate a possible diversion.
Drabek, 42, appeared in court via Zoom May 18 for what was scheduled as a plea/sentencing hearing while current Oshkosh Community Players President Madysen Schmidt represented the victims on the video call.
The case made headlines when Drabek failed to appear for an initial appearance Sept. 15, prompting court commissioner Eric Heywood to issue a warrant for his arrest.
Authorities finally took him into custody Nov. 4.
What is Justin Drabek accused of?
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. He said 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 playwriter.
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 in because he was currently living in Michigan.
Acknowledging “what he did was wrong,” Drabek said he did not receive permission to use the account for personal use but said he believes he was responsible for only $4,000 despite admitting to each transaction listed by the 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.
Tracy Ann Paider is listed as the prosecuting attorney in the case, with Judge Michael Rust presiding.
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 delayed over restitution request
Reporting by Justin Marville, Oshkosh Northwestern / Oshkosh Northwestern
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
