MARSHALL — The former director of the Marshall Convention and Visitors Bureau was arrested Friday in connection with the theft of over $250,000 from the CVB, Marshall Police said.

The Marshall Police Department said Friday that Darin Ross Rahm, 49, of Marshall, was arrested for probable cause felony theft. The arrest came as the result of a months-long investigation by the MPD, with the help of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and the Minnesota State Auditor’s Office. Police said Rahm was booked into the Lyon County Jail on Friday, and is expected to appear in court after charges have been filed.

Rahm was director of the Marshall CVB from October 2014 until June 2018, when his employment was terminated. Rahm had resigned as a member of the Fairmont City Council in 2014 to take the CVB position.

Last June, Cal Brink, then the executive director of the Marshall Area Chamber of Commerce, said Rahm had been terminated for cause, but he could not give more information at that time.

A statement posted on the Marshall CVB’s Facebook page Friday said the CVB found financial irregularities during an internal budget review in 2018. The CVB and Marshall Area Chamber reported the irregularities to the authorities and removed Rahm from the CVB, the statement said.

The CVB’s statement said some information on the theft could not be made public Friday, due to pending criminal prosecution. However, Marshall Police said their investigation was into the theft of funds exceeding $250,000.

In a statement Friday, the city of Marshall said the CVB has also sought support from a public tax accounting firm to further establish accounting procedures and protocols in all CVB financial transactions.

“This individual intentionally deceived the CVB by using sophisticated means to divert funds into his own personal accounts,” Marshall Mayor Bob Byrnes said in the city’s statement. “The specific taxpayers are entitled to expect that the city will use all available legal remedies to ensure restoration of these funds.”