(AP) An audit says the former director of two wheat groups stole 112-thousand dollars from the groups over 18 months.

Lance Hagen is the former director of the North Dakota Grain Growers and the U-S durum Growers Association. The groups are based in Bismarck.

The thefts started in December of 2002. Hagen admits to stealing the money. But he says he recently paid it all back. He won't say where he got the money to pay it back.

Hagen says he used the cash to play the commodities market. At first he made 311-thousand dollars on a three-thousand dollar investment.

But Hagen says things went south. He says he lost a quarter-million dollars in the market last year alone. In an interview Hagen said playing the commodities market was like a drug.

Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem says he'll be discussing the matter with Burleigh County prosecutor Richard Riha next week. Stenehjem says Hagen could be prosecuted.

Greg Daws is president of the Grain Growers. He says Hagen has corrected everything he did wrong to the organization.

He says Hagen admitted the thefts to him late last March. Daws says it took guts for Hagen to admit what he did and to try to make things right.

The audit was completed April 30th. Hagen left his job the same day.

Copies were given to the North Dakota Wheat Commission and the attorney general's office. | save this article / add to your favorites list