Lindsay Salas
Introduction
Lindsay Salas, 38, is a former Colorado state behavioral health official and nonprofit executive who faces felony charges in Adams County over an alleged $99,000 tuition-reimbursement scheme. She spent 12 years as executive director of Court Appointed Special Advocates of Adams and Broomfield Counties, a nonprofit serving foster children, before the state hired her in November as a deputy commissioner at the Colorado Behavioral Health Administration. In April 2026, Attorney General Phil Weiser announced a civil settlement over falsified tuition invoices. In October 2026, the Adams County District Attorney’s Office charged her with felony theft, attempted theft, and multiple counts of filing false tax returns. She is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Background Information
CASA of Adams and Broomfield Counties helps abused and neglected children in the foster care system. Salas led the organization as executive director for 12 years, according to The Colorado Sun. The Behavioral Health Administration, a four-year-old state agency that the Sun reported has been plagued with leadership turnover, hired Salas in November without checking with the nonprofit where she had worked, the newspaper reported in April. At the time of her hiring, she was already under investigation for theft from her previous job, according to the Sun.
The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation
Charged, not tried; civil settlement resolved separately. Salas faces felony charges to which she has not pleaded and is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. The April settlement resolved the state’s civil claims and did not rule out other potential legal action.
A top donor to CASA had agreed to fund Salas’ graduate degree in business administration at the University of Denver, according to case records. Under the arrangement, Salas submitted her tuition invoices to CASA, CASA paid the university, and the donor reimbursed CASA. Authorities say Salas created false tuition invoices, which CASA paid to the university. Because the false invoices were overpayments and her university account had a zero balance, the school issued refunds directly to Salas, allowing her to illegally obtain approximately $99,000, according to the attorney general’s office. The conduct in the civil case occurred between November 2023 and July 2024.
On April 22, 2026, Weiser announced the civil settlement. An investigation by the attorney general’s office found Salas violated the Colorado Consumer Protection Act and the Colorado Charitable Solicitations Act by submitting falsified invoices to CASA for her own graduate school education. Under the consent judgment, Salas agreed to pay $66,000 over six years, funds the attorney general’s office will return to CASA. A $125,000 judgment is suspended so long as she complies with the payment plan and other terms. The settlement also restricts her for five years from serving in certain financial or fundraising roles for charitable organizations.
On Oct. 15, 2026, the Adams County District Attorney’s Office announced criminal charges. Salas faces one count of theft, one count of attempted theft, and three counts of filing a false tax return — all felonies alleged to have occurred from 2022 to 2025, according to the Sun. She is scheduled to appear in court Nov. 9. Her attorney did not immediately return a request for comment.
Public Reaction and Consequences
The Sun’s Oct. 15 report on the charges was headlined “Fired deputy behavioral health commissioner charged with felony theft in tuition scheme.” The newspaper reported that Salas worked at the state agency until Weiser’s office said in April that she doctored tuition reimbursement records to take $99,000, and that the agency had hired her despite the investigation into her previous job.
Weiser said in the settlement announcement: “This case is a clear example of the harm that occurs when someone abuses the public’s trust in charitable giving.” He added that “Coloradans who donate to nonprofits deserve to know their contributions are used honestly and as intended, and nonprofit organizations should be able to trust that their employees do not misuse charitable funds.” The five-year restriction bars Salas from handling charitable contributions or having primary responsibility over a nonprofit’s finances, according to the agreement.
Current Status
As of the Oct. 15, 2026 report, the criminal case is pending. Salas has been charged with felony theft, attempted theft, and three counts of filing a false tax return, alleged to have occurred from 2022 to 2025, and is scheduled to appear in court Nov. 9. She is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty, and the charges have not been tested at trial. The civil matter is resolved: under the April consent judgment she is to pay $66,000 over six years to the attorney general’s office, which will return the funds to CASA, and a $125,000 judgment is suspended so long as she complies with the payment plan and other terms. The consent judgment does not rule out other potential legal action.
Impact on Their Career/Life
Salas lost the state position, which the Sun described as fired, ending the deputy commissioner role she had held since November. She is barred for five years from serving in certain financial or fundraising roles for charitable organizations and must repay $66,000 over six years under the consent judgment. The felony case, with a Nov. 9 court appearance, will determine any criminal consequences; her attorney did not immediately return a request for comment, and no trial date appears in the published reports.