The executive director of the Maryland Saltwater Sportfishing Association has resigned after officials say they found financial irregularities within the organization’s bank statements.

Association president Frank Holden wrote in a letter to board members Thursday that executive director Dave Smith was no longer working for the organization after Holden and other members discovered issues within MSSA’s finances. Smith’s time as executive director could be traced back to a March and April 2011 report he gave on the MSSA’s website.

The Pasadena-based association hosts tournaments and advocates for legislation supporting fisheries and protecting recreational fishing.

Holden said the investigation into the MSSA’s finances was ongoing and that Anne Arundel County police had been notified. The board was considering firing Smith when he resigned via email, Holden said.

Ed Kucharski has been named interim executive director, according to Holden’s letter.

“We are planning on proceeding with business as usual,” Holden said. “We are a couple of days into this now, and we don’t know all the facts just yet.”

Smith, who was contacted through his Facebook page, did not return a request for comment.

In his executive director’s report on MSSA’s website, Smith referenced 2017 as “educational” and thanked members for supporting MSSA. He also referenced a “giving campaign” that MSSA recently held.

MSSA accepts gifts and donations. It does not list itself as nonprofit although The Maryland Saltwater Sportfishing Association’s scholarship foundation is listed as a public charity by the Internal Revenue Service.

“I would like to personally thank everyone who has supported the MSSA through its tournaments, chapter meetings, volunteering, membership, and those who supported our giving campaign just recently,” Smith said in his Fall 2017 report. “As described in the letter, this was something the MSSA has never done, so thank you for making it a great success and allowing us to continue our mission.”

Holden’s letter details a series of financial irregularities that led to Smith’s resignation. The Baltimore Sun Media Group could not confirm the details.

In his letter, Holden stated he had to pay $4,500 of back rent to prevent MSSA from being evicted from its offices on Fort Smallwood Road.

Speculation about troubles at MSSA had been brewing on message boards such as tidalfish.com, in which forum posters asked why MSSA’s 2017 tournament winners had not been paid.

In Holden’s letter to the board, he addresses speculation surrounding MSSA’s fall tournament. The MSSA website lists a Chesapeake Bay Fall Classic that took place in 2017. The top prize of that event was $6,300. It is not immediately apparent if this is the tournament in which winnings have not been paid out.

When asked about the fall tournament, Holden declined to comment.

“When the time comes we will issue an official statement about what is happening,” he said.

ccook@capgaznews.com

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