Idaho Falls Chamber of Commerce CEO resigns amid podcast allegations – East Idaho News

IDAHO FALLS — The CEO of the Greater Idaho Falls Chamber resigned Friday amid allegations of misappropriation of funds from a local podcast.

According to a social media post posted Friday from the Greater Idaho Falls Chamber of Commerce, the board of directors accepted the resignation of Paul Baker as chief executive officer.

“We thank Paul for his years of service to the Chamber and wish him well in his future endeavors,” says the post.

The post says that Baker will continue assisting the chamber in a transitional capacity for the next few weeks “to facilitate an orderly leadership transition.”

We have reached out to Paul Baker for comment, and have not received a response. If we hear back, we will update this article.

The resignations come after weeks of scrutiny from a local podcast, IFAF, hosted by Mike Nelson and Karley Morgan. In multiple episodes, the podcasters read questions from an alleged whistleblower who claims that Baker may have misappropriated funds from the chamber, among other allegations.

RELATED | IFAF podcasters reflect on more than two years of rebellious recordings

EastIdahoNews.com has been watching this closely; some facts have been verified, others have not been or appear to be factually incorrect. We will continue investigating and update if we learn more.

“To date, the Board has not found any evidence that Chamber funds have been misappropriated. The Board remains committed to the Chamber’s mission of serving its members and supporting a strong business community,” says the post. “Chamber operations will continue uninterrupted as we move forward with a leadership transition and an independent audit.”

As of Friday, no criminal charges have been filed against Baker for any of the allegations.

The podcast has also linked Baker to Cristie Stone, the former President of the Portneuf Valley Soccer Club, who was recently charged with allegedly embezzling $219,000 from the club. Baker was previously the club’s executive director. Numerous social media posts also indicate that Baker and Stone have been in a romantic relationship.

Local authorities have not indicated Baker is involved in Stone’s embezzlement case.

RELATED | Former president of Portneuf Valley Soccer Club embezzled over $219K, police say

The board says it appreciates the continued support of its members, partners, and the community and will provide additional information “as appropriate.”

EastIdahoNews.com will update when we learn more.