The former vice president for the American Behcet’s Disease Association has been charged with felony first-degree theft in Shelby County.

38-year-old Leann Brown of Phoenix is accused of stealing from the association while serving as its fiscal agent. She allegedly transferred the money to her own personal bank accounts.

A preliminary hearing on the charge is set for Thursday at the Shelby County Courthouse.

If convicted, she could face up to two years in jail. She was arrested by police earlier this month and was being held in the Shelby County jail.

The investigation into Brown’s activities began in May when someone at the association alerted the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office that more than $25,000 had been embezzled by Brown.

At the time she was serving as a volunteer vice president for the association.

The American Behcet’s Disease Association is a non-profit organization formed to provide information and support to those afflicted with Behcet’s Disease. It is an autoimmune disease that results from damage to blood vessels throughout the body, particularly veins, with most symptoms of the disease caused by inflammation of the blood vessels.