Palm Springs Kids Lose $100,000

Won't someone think of the children?!?

Yeah, stupid kids shouldn’t have bet on Cruziero.

No, actually they were robbed. Or embezzled from or whatever the proper grammar is for being the victim of embezzlement.

But the Palm Springs AYSO had a sizable chunk of change go up and missing.

Search warrants were served last week on former La Quinta AYSO regional commissioner Sharon Schumaier in a felony embezzlement investigation involving more than $108,000 in local AYSO funds, court documents show. According to minutes from the board of directors' June 22 meeting, the league has about $84,000 in its account and another $19,000 in a bank account — frozen as part of the ongoing investigation.

So wait, the youth soccer organization is missing $108,000 but it still has $103,000 in its bank accounts? Youth soccer is swimming in that kind of cash?

Jesus, how come this doesn’t happen more often?

Schumaier has been ousted as the Area Director. Her claim is now that she was asked to be relieved of her duties because it was too much work.

The article makes no mention of any Schumaier priors, but a commenter drops this little nugget:

Indeed the lady was convicted of theft and embezzlement back in 1996 and received five year[sic] probation. So, she HAS been convicted of a crime in the past. Interestingly, one similiar [sic] to what she is being investigated for now [sic]. True, it doesn't make her guilty of any crime now and comments about the way she looks are ridiculous. Still, if you read the warrants, and the list of checks written out to her, her husband, or their business, it is very, very damning evidence. Further, she ignored all requests for provide [sic] financials.

The AYSO has appointed a new acting director and said it posted its budget on its website, but I couldn’t find anything but the minutes from the last couple of board meetings. Families that paid their dues for the upcoming season will not have to repay. But there won’t be orange slices at halftime this season.