The former executive director of the White Mountain Trail Collective is facing additional charges of money laundering and embezzlement.

Last December, Melanie Luce was charged with wire fraud and improper use of COVID-19 relief funds, all stemming from claims that she transferred money from the trail collective and a website design company she ran into personal accounts.

The latest accusations are related to the alleged purchase of two camper vans in 2021, valued at more than $26,000.

Luce entered a not guilty plea for both the original charges and the new allegations. A two-week trial is scheduled to begin in mid-October. Her lawyer didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment, but previously told NHPR that his client would address the allegations through the court process.

It isn’t clear what new information prosecutors obtained that prompted these latest criminal charges.

Based in Campton, the White Mountain Trail Collective raised funds and helped coordinate trail maintenance projects in delicate but heavily trafficked areas of the Whites, including trails on Mount Washington.

A copy of a 2022 audit previously obtained and reported on by NHPR showed Luce allegedly fabricated bank statements for the group by adding digits to make it appear the nonprofit had more money on hand than it actually did — by as much as $300,000 — as it sought short-term loans.

Luce also was awarded a $20,000 performance bonus while leading the now defunct Collective after allegedly fabricating the receipt of a major grant.

In 2012, Luce pleaded guilty to four counts of felony theft and misuse of a credit card after stealing approximately $185,000 from a medical practice in Plymouth, where she worked as an office manager. Luce was sentenced to serve 12 months in the Grafton County House of Corrections and ordered to pay restitution.

According to court records, Luce most recently resided in Colorado.

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