A former Kent Little League treasurer reportedly embezzled more than $200,000 from the volunteer organization over a two-year period.
Kent Police investigators learned the 48-year-old man used some of the embezzled funds in an attempt to keep his newly acquired Benchwarmer Sports Bar and Grill afloat, according to a Friday police media release. The bar along Russell Road has since closed.
Detectives started to investigate the case in December when the Little League board president reported significant financial discrepancies in the league’s bank accounts in 2012 and 2013. The man’s name has not been released, but the media release described him as a long-term board member.
The league’s board of directors sent a letter Sept. 10 to Little League parents and volunteers that said, “significant financial discrepancies were found in the management of league funds throughout the 2012 and 2013 seasons.”
Detectives have not made an arrest in the case, but forwarded their investigation to the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office to review and decide about filing charges against the man.
Procedures to oversee the league’s funds have been changed after consultation with outside experts, according to the board’s letter.
The treasurer was the sole member who embezzled funds over the 2012 and 2013 seasons, which resulted in the league’s bank accounts going into the negative. The man admitted to embezzling the funds, according to the police media release.
Kent Police spokeswoman Melanie Frazier said embezzlement cases can take a good amount of time to investigate.
The Kent Little League is described on its website as an all-volunteer group of parents and community members whose goal is to manage the business operation of the organization and strive to enrich the development of players and the enjoyment of baseball and softball for the area’s youth and families.
The league offers play for boys and girls ages 4-16.
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