"I was guilty of being in a bad situation," she told the judge. Youth hockey association victim of embezzlement By Peter Odney 09/17/2020, 11:45am CDT A former employee embezzled approximately $90,000 from the Little Falls Youth Hockey Association, leaving a financially-strapped community to pick up the pieces. If you feel you have received this message in error, please contact the customer support team at 1-833-248-7801. It definitely was shocking. The association, which has about 140 players from Mites to Bantams, does its best to allow every child the chance to play, most years awarding scholarships to 10 players who otherwise could not afford to take the ice. Squirts:Squirts should expect 2 practices during the week and 2-3 games on the weekend. The charging document accuses Alonso-Heath of cashing numerous checks written to herself, in addition to other checks written out to Kwik Trip. Youth hockey embezzlement leads to community service The Trusted Grown-Ups Who Steal Millions From Youth Sports The first time anyone got a look at the bookswas when Del Vecchio and Lehmann resigned, board member Stewart Bennion said at the time. The LFYH mission is to instill the core values of Sportsmanship, Respect, Integrity, Pursuit of Excellence, Enjoyment, Loyalty and Teamwork within all of our players. Little Falls, Minn. Comeback in progress after embezzlement rocks Little Falls Youth Hockey Generous gifts have been received by Little Falls Youth Hockey after a former treasurer was found to have. The person who informed police, identified in the complaint as a board member of the youth league, accused Alonso-Heath of embezzling the money for approximately four years, from mid-2016 until her departure from the organization in April 2020. Enter your number to get our free mobile app. "But there needs to be some oversight and greater accountability from a statutory level.". Some of the forms can be found on nonprofit watchdog sites like Guidestar and ProPublica. A goalie for the Tri-Boro Youth Soccer Club in eastern Pennsylvania during a game in May. Anyone can read what you share. We never expect this from anybody, Johnson said. Donations to the Little Falls Youth Hockey Association can be made by Venmo at @LittleFalls-YouthHockey or by mail to LFYH, PO Box 91, Little Falls MN 56345. LITTLE FALLS, Minn. (FOX 9) - The former treasurer of a youth hockey organization in Little Falls, Minnesota has been charged with stealing more than $90,000 from the nonprofit over. WYANDOTTE, Mich. (FOX 2) - A mother entrusted as the treasurer for a youth hockey program is accused of embezzling $30,000. She used the funds to save her home and her car. Weve had money coming in through donations already, so the hockey community has at least stepped up to support us and help us out as much as they can. With the money being gone now, it makes it impossible to do any of the improvements to the arena and impossible to put a roof over the outdoor sheet of ice that we have, said Carmen Johnson, the LFYH president, who said that the association tries to self-fund arena improvements to prevent increases in the cost of ice time. Ashburn woman pleads guilty to embezzlement from youth football league A past Wiz Wyatt Player of the Year winner as a Peewee, Francisco has taken his game to new heights as a Bantam. A A. "There was extreme reason to believe that something's going on or might be going on," Bennion said at the time. Many leagues don't perform a criminal background check on board members and administrators, despite the search being required of youth coaches. Please enable javascript and refresh the page to continue reading local news. Former organization treasurer sentenced for theft from Little Falls I couldnt comprehend having to tell the 700 kids in our entire membership that the money was gone and they couldnt play soccer anymore because their treasurer was a thief, Diane Miller, the Tri-Boro Youth Soccer Clubs current treasurer, said last month, recalling Mr. Farleys arrest in 2013. Meanwhile, the clubs board members, facing a host of unpaid bills, were suddenly desperate to keep Tri-Boro solvent. Eagle River woman sentenced for embezzling $150K from youth hockey group Yes, everyone starts out with the best intentions, but then something usually goes wrong and no one is really watching.. To raise his spirits and to try something new his grandparents had run a tavern Mr. Baker decided to spend $100,000 to buy a bar. A woman in Vermont was convicted of stealing from a fund established to honor a dead child who had been a club member. Ive definitely gotten teary-eyed when people that I dont know, and people that I do know, step up to help. Physical donations such as cash or check can be made to the association's PO Box 91 Little Falls 56345. A draft version of Dancer's Holbrook bill would require "youth athletic nonprofits" to maintain a website with access to financial statements and tax returns, conduct annual audits, advertise board meetings with five days' notice and keep receipts for cash payments greater than $25. While insurance will cover roughly half of the LFYH losses, their plans for arena upgrades including putting a roof over their outdoor ice sheet and improving the press box in their indoor arena have been put on hold because of a lack of funds. "Alonso-Heath admitted that she was in dire financial need over the last few years. The ruse was discovered when board members regained access to the true bank records and found an account that should have contained $130,000 instead held just $13,000. AYF doesn't "believe in penalizing youth organizations run by volunteers," said Chris Petrich, social media and event coordinator at American Youth Football. Johnson said LFYH is not doing either of those things as they recover from the theft, acknowledging that many in the community are already hurting due to the pandemic. "If it's easy, people are going to do it.". Little Falls Youth Hockey Inc. lock Unlock financial . "But does that mean we abandon the youth sports leagues? Hockey, Boys (5A) Hockey. Middletown Little LeaguePresident John Marsini Jr., didn't learn that league'stax-exempt status had been revoked until a sponsor brought it up. Cunningham, now 60, was released in 2011 on parole after less than six months in prison. Hear what one Holbrook Little League parent thinks of the problem in this video below. Our donors and sponsors are the glue that holds the association together and makes kid's dreams come true. Theres always a lot of cash involved in these organizations, and whenever theres cash, theres people eyeing the cash, said Tim Delaney, president and chief executive of the National Council of Nonprofits. The IRS only takes action after three years of delinquent forms and there isn't a single youth sports league at the Shore that's had its charity registration revoked by Consumer Affairs, despite 54 leagues currently listed as non-compliant. Investigators say embezzlement cases in youth sports have become common, as was the case when a Tri-Boro treasurer stole $120,000 from the organizations bank accounts.CreditMark Makela for The New York Times. A county court judge had ordered Mr. Farley to repent publicly to club members as part of his guilty plea, and so there he stood, in front of a throng of children sitting cross-legged on a grassy ball field waiting to play. A Morrison County woman is charged with embezzling more than $90,000 from a youth hockey association over the four years she served as the organization's treasurer.\r\rhttps://www.kare11.com/article/news/crime/youth-hockey-treasurer-charged-with-embezzling-more-than-90k/89-62458ebe-522d-4e85-a9ad-c21b863bddce\r\r\rWelcome to the official YouTube channel of KARE 11 News. Updated: 10:26 PM CDT September 22, 2020 LITTLE FALLS, Minn. A Morrison County woman is charged with embezzling more than $90,000 from a youth hockey association over the four years she. Kelly Beth Alonso-Heath has entered a guilty plea to one count of theft in Morrison County Court. Bottom line, cash in youth sports is easy to steal. It was more money than the league's annual budget at the time, and stopped plans for field improvements in their tracks. Across the country, people who volunteered as treasurers and other officers for Little Leagues and sports clubs have been prosecuted for pilfering gobs of money from the coffers: $220,000 in Washington, $431,000 in Minnesota, $560,000 in New Jersey, and so on, according to law enforcement authorities, league officials, experts on nonprofit organizations and news reports. Since gambling came into Minnesota, weve been having problems and embezzlement.. Johnson said LFYH is not doing either of those things as they recover from the theft, acknowledging that many in the community are already hurting due to the pandemic. The 49-year-old has a history of fraud and theft. Sometimes, there's theft. These include without limitation Physical Abuse, Sexual Abuse, Screening, Locker Room Supervision and Hazing Policies, in addition to Codes of Conduct applicable to administrators, coaches, officials, parents, players and spectators. Little Falls Youth Hockey strives to keep costs as affordable as possible for all of our families and in addition,provideopportunities forfinancial or equipmentassistance for those who need. Worse, all the hard work by volunteers raising money for years was lost, Mr. Whitcomb said. Alonso-Heath reportedly blocked other board members access to the associations bank accounts, and presented falsified statements to the board members. Minnesota Hockey's District 2, the Roseville Youth Hockey Association, and the Coon Rapids boys' varsity program have all been victims of embezzlement or fraud. ESPN to feature Ann Arbor Amateur Hockey Association embezzlement case According to the Alaska U.S. District Attorney's office, Jennifer Suchan, also known as Jennifer Kerr, was sentenced on Wednesday to 14 months . Per a criminal complaint filed in the early summer, a former Little Falls Youth Hockey treasurer could not account for around $90,000 of association funds that had gone missing. She made nearly six-thousand dollars in fraudulent electronic withdrawals to cover things like car payments and utility payments for herself. Nonetheless, in recent years youth sports officials have found themselves forced into unforeseen roles: crime investigator, mediator and crisis management specialist. practices during the week and 2-3 games on the weekend. "That's where we're asking for people to look inside and see if they've got some extra change that can help out a small community," Johnson said. The checks totaled a value of more than $85,000. Squirts will play 25-30games throughout the season. Nevin Mann, whose children play for Holbrook, said there's room for improvement when it comes to keeping financial records open. The youth sports boom in the United States, fortified by at least 30 million participants, has turned what were once homespun local leagues into quasi-professional enterprises with annual budgets that experts who track nonprofits say regularly reach $250,000 if not twice that. kevin craig obituary walhalla, sc. He soon learned that the league hadn't properly filed a Form 990 in over seven years, which Marsini said was due to a clerical error: A former treasurer included the wrong identification number and post office box. Sometimes, these leagues are behind on their taxes. She explained Alonso-Heath had been the treasurer from mid-2016 until April 2020. Other times, it comes time for a big trip to a tournament and there's simply not enough money. We never expect this from anybody, Johnson said. According to court documents, from 2014 to 2017, Suchan was the treasurer of the Mustang Hockey Association, a volunteer, non-profit youth hockey organization operating in the Eagle River area. PeeWeeswill play 30-35games throughout the season. I know that hockey people are good people, but this just reinforces it.. "Think about who's actually running these leagues they're moms and dads," Malinowski said. "I was really, really upset and hurt," Johnson said over the phone on Wednesday afternoon. She's happy with the transparency at the league: The league's website advertises board meetings and anything involving fundraising from annual fees to bus trips is done with online registration. Mr. Farley offered the club and prosecutors a restitution deal; the organizations leaders and the clubs parent group balked. Steve Zucker. We like these leagues to recover. Usually, it's paid in cash or a check. From his Most Valuable Player performance during last summer's Bantam Elite League, to his legendary performance for Grand Rapids in the Bantam AA State Tournament quarterfinals, Casey's resume grows by the minute. Diane Miller, Tri-Boros treasurer, and Tino Babayan, the clubs former president, who exposed the embezzlement after learning 80 percent of the organizations money was missing.