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Treasurer of Sarasota Little League arrested
The treasurer of the Sarasota Little League is accused of stealing more than $200,000 from an account that was funding the league’s expenses. FOX 13's Evan Axelbank reports.
SARASOTA, Fla. - Instead of stealing bases, deputies say the treasurer of Sarasota Little League was stealing money.
What we know:
The Sarasota County Sheriff's Office says Ahnyasa Turner stole more than $200,000 from an account that was supposed to fund league expenses, like umpires, uniforms and field maintenance.
The new league president, Alexis Meininghouse, says the theft almost forced the league to stop operating.
"Watching them thrive in the sport that they love just makes us so proud," Meininghouse said. "(Turner) duped all of us. I don't think anybody had any idea."
As the treasurer, deputies say, yes, she was paying for umpires, field maintenance and uniforms, but that she helped herself to portions of 200 ATM withdrawals and Amazon purchases.
Deputies say the theft in total was $207,000.
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What they're saying:
"Ultimately, when you give one person that overall kind of trust to have access to these accounts, you know sometimes people take advantage of it," Sgt. Jason Friday of the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office said.
She appeared in court from the Sarasota County Jail on Friday, with her attorney, Eric Reisinger, telling the judge that they are in the process of settling with the little league.
Courtesy: Sarasota County Sheriff's Office
He disputed the final amount stolen but admitted it's more than $100,000.
"She made a terrible, terrible mistake," Reisinger said. "Quite a few of them, you know, she regrets the situation and... we're trying to make it right."
Big picture view:
The little league has relied on donations to literally keep the lights on while they try to play through the injury.
They'll be hosting a fundraiser on Saturday to beef up their bank account, which they assumed would be in the six figures, but was drained to under $1,000 when the theft was discovered.
"She needs to pay for what she did," little league parent Kim Alvarez said. "What she did is almost unthinkable that you would do that to children."
What we don't know:
Deputies could not say what specifically Turner used the money for.
"Every single one of us is committed to make sure that this can never happen again," Meininghouse said.
What's next:
The little league now has multiple people watching over their financial accounts.
Turner was given a bond of $25,000. She faces a charge of grand theft.
The Source: Information for this story was gathered from the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office, the Sarasota Little League president, an attorney and a Sarasota Little League parent.