There are many organizations for children that only function because of the time that parents spend making them successful. Often, parents work full time jobs and also fulfill volunteer positions, such as the treasurer or president of a soccer organization, in their free time. Because they may have little training or experience with these positions, it is easy to see how a mistake could be made. Unfortunately, a California woman was recently arrested on embezzlement charges for allegedly taking money from a youth soccer league.
The woman served several positions within the league, including president, treasurer and coach. Apparently, officials launched an investigation into the woman’s action after an audit discovered what some described as questionable transactions. Officials now say that the woman opened a bank account for the organization in 2014, putting her home address on the account.
She is now accused of embezzling over $18,000 from the league. Police have accused the woman of paying utility bills and making car payments with the money, as well as making cash withdrawals. The woman claims that she paid certain tournament fees with her own money and any money she took from the league was to reimburse her out-of-pocket expenses.
Unfortunately, it is relatively easy to make accusations against someone that could ultimately have severe ramifications on his or her life. In order to convict someone, however, there must be sufficient evidence to prove guilt. In this particular case, it is unclear how it was determined that the transactions that were deemed questionable were not simply the product of poor documentation rather than proof of embezzlement. Because of the complexity of cases such as this, many people in California seek the guidance of an experienced defense attorney who can help them make informed decisions about their case.
Source: modbee.com, “Oakdale Citizen of the Year jailed on suspicion of embezzlement“, Erin Tracy, June 1, 2016