A Wisconsin real estate agent and his wife have been charged with stealing half a million dollars from a Masonic lodge. The couple allegedly spent the money on luxury automobiles, personal expenses and debts, according to a criminal complaint obtained by the Wisconsin Law Journal.
Tyler Kristopeit and his wife, Katie, of Muskego, Wisconsin, are each charged with conspiracy to commit theft in a business setting of more than $100,000 and conspiracy to commit money laundering. If convicted, the couple could face a maximum penalty of 12 years and six months in prison and a $25,000 fine on each count.
Tyler Kristopeit was a former officer at the George Washington 1776 Masonic Lodge in Whitefish Bay. He is accused of having stolen money “for years,” resulting in the sale of the lodge in late 2025.
The stolen funds were allegedly laundered through accounts in Katie Kristopeit’s name. Following her arrest, Katie told a detective she was “waiting for something like [the arrest] to happen.”
“Katie Kristopeit showed no emotion and just nodded as the complainant (detective) told her they had spent close to $500,000 in stolen funds from the lodge since October 2025,” according to the criminal complaint.
Questions were raised about the missing funds when a new Worshipful Master took over at the lodge following the building’s sale. Some of the money had been moved into an account in Katie’s name, some had gone into an account in Tyler’s name, and some funds had gone directly from the Masons’ account to pay for cable bills, grocery store purchases and Amazon orders.
The Masonic leader also said that Tyler had written in a January 2026 memo that the lodge held $900,000 in investments, of which they could find no evidence.
The couple was released on April 17 on $10,000 bonds and are due back in court today for a review of their release conditions.
According to the state of Wisconsin’s licensure database, Tyler Kristopeit received his real estate license in 2013, but it is currently expired. His Realtor.com profile identifies him as an agent with Coldwell Banker Realty Mequon, and describes him as having “an authentic, can-do empathetic demeanor and an attentive no-stone-unturned mindset.”
