Youth football league coach arrested on sex abuse charges
Posted: Mar 13, 2012 10:10 PM PDT Updated: Mar 13, 2012 10:22 PM PDT
By FOX 12 Staff - email
PORTLAND, OR (KPTV) -
Parents of a local youth football league are angry and concerned after one of their coaches was arrested for sex abuse charges.
Otha Banks Jr. was an assistant coach for the Portland Pop Warner league.
Parents say Banks has been coaching boys in seventh- and eighth-grade since 2009.
The Multnomah County Sheriff's Office says they can't reveal the details of the case. But authorities say the alleged abuse spanned several years and involved three victims, all under 18.
They say the victims were all related to Banks in some way - none were players on the league.
What has parents most concerned is Banks' criminal past.
FOX 12 found 12 other mug shots of Banks from previous arrests. He was convicted for assault in 1994, for drug charges in 2000 and for felon in possession of a firearm in 2009.
Portland Pop Warner claims all coaches must pass a thorough criminal background check. So how could a man like Banks get through?
"I don't know. That's what kind of makes me angry is how either they didn't do it or they did it and swept it under the carpet," Kevin Arrington, a former assistant coach with Portland Pop Warner, said.
Phone calls and emails to both the local and national league have not been returned.
The Warrant Strike Team had been actively looking for Banks until he turned himself in today.
Banks' arraignment is scheduled for tomorrow.
Copyright 2012 KPTV (Meredith Corporation). All rights reserved.
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Youth coaches go on offense against abuse
Youth coaches go on offense against abuse
March 10, 2012
Beth Teitell, Bostron Globe Staff
When the Jerry Sandusky sex-abuse scandal broke at Pennsylvania State University last November, Al Perillo made a decision: Starting this year, all Pop Warner Football coaches in New England - not just head coaches, but assistants, too - will be required to learn what constitutes proper protocol.
“We want to make sure everyone is aware of the do’s and don’ts,’’ said Perillo, who lives in Everett and serves as Pop Warner’s New England director.
The online tutorial warns against such things as driving other children home from practices, advising coaches to instead call police if a child’s ride does not show and parents cannot be reached. Officials also plan to reemphasize the importance of touching athletes only in appropriate places, generally on the helmet for a football player, on the arm for a cheerleader.
“Don’t do anything that could be misconstrued,’’ Perillo said.
Welcome to coaching in 2012, a time when “risk management’’ goes way beyond walking the field before a game to check for broken glass or holes. After fall’s high-profile accusations - against Sandusky, an assistant football coach who was accused of sexually abusing 10 boys, and against Bernie Fine, an assistant basketball coach at Syracuse University fired amid allegations he molested two boys - a number of youth sports-related organizations are significantly strengthening existing child-protection efforts. Their goal: to prevent child abuse, and in some cases, to make sure that coaches do not inadvertently make themselves vulnerable to unfounded accusations.
Little League Baseball and Softball, which has almost 95,000 Massachusetts players, has e-mailed its volunteers worldwide to alert them that information about reporting suspected child abuse is available on the organization’s website.
“This whole Sandusky situation has brought this to the forefront,’’ said Steve Barr, Little League’s director of media relations.
In January, Positive Coaching Alliance, a California-based nonprofit with a Boston chapter, drafted guidelines for leagues and coaches. One section informs readers that among child-abuse victims, 90 percent “are abused by someone whom they know and trust’’ and reminds them that “statistics show most instances of child abuse go undetected.’’
“We see this as a great teachable moment,’’ said Jim Thompson, the group’s founder.
Criminal background checks, such as the Criminal Offender Record Information system used by Massachusetts youth sports organizations, are important, Thompson said, “but they don’t solve the problem. If you have a predator who hasn’t been caught or charged, they won’t show up. And often times with background checks from jurisdiction to jurisdiction you don’t pick up something.’’
While the Sandusky case has grabbed attention nationwide, those involved in youth sports say they are also motivated to refocus attention on child safety by local stories, and headlines that seem to keep coming: “Lawrence school worker gets 5 years on rape charge’’ (Associated Press, Jan. 6, 2012); “Man sexually assaulted by ex-coach faces him in court’’ (Lowell Sun, Feb. 9, 2011); “Former Coach Faces Child Porn Charges’’ (Globe, Feb. 26, 2011).
Many organizations, of course, began increasing child-protection efforts long before the charges against Sandusky, amid growing societal awareness of sexual predators at schools, in religious organizations, and in sports. Next week, after a couple of years of work, the US Olympic Committee plans to unveil a safe-sport handbook, launch a safe-sport website, and introduce an online coaching certification program.
Tensions surrounding child sex abuse are running so high that, around the time Perillo was deciding to beef up coach training, Daniel Lebowitz, executive director of Northeastern University’s Sport in Society Center, was fielding calls from coaches worried their own reputations might be stained by Sandusky. “Are people going to assume that because I’m a coach I’m doing this?’’ they asked.
Indeed, a number of local coaches and a Sports Illustrated columnist who coaches a boys’ junior varsity basketball team in California said the recent high-profile scandals prompted them to feel uncomfortable or to change their behavior.
“You do get nervous because someone can say something happened and it’s really our word against theirs, and you are automatically guilty,’’ said John Saia, of West Roxbury, a skating coach for the Boston Junior Bruins and a board member and coach for Parkway Youth Hockey. “It doesn’t matter what the truth is. I try to make sure I don’t get myself into a situation that could lead to any accusations.’’
“You know how you used to pat kids on the butt and send them into the game?’’ said Pat Inderwish, a veteran Pop Warner coach, and president of Central Massachusetts Pop Warner and Boylston/West Boylston Youth Football. “Some people see that as inappropriate contact now. Those are the things you’ve got to keep in your mind.’’
Phil Taylor, the Sports Illustrated columnist who wrote about his new policy against driving kids home from evening practices, said he was worried that he would be criticized for over-reacting, but instead he largely received support.
“They said they had exactly the same feelings of being alone with a player in a way they’d never thought about before,’’ he said in an interview with the Globe. “I also got a few responses from people who said, ‘Get over it. As long as you’re not a pervert, what do you have to worry about? Don’t let the child molesters win.’ But 90 percent of the responses were, ‘What a shame this is, but I know exactly what you are talking about.’’’
James C. Schmutz, executive director of the American Sport Education Program, an Illinois firm that sells coach education to scholastic and youth sport coaches and organizations, estimates that 44 million children between ages 7 and 17 participate in organized sports in the United States, with about 8 million coaches.
“There is no good data on the percentage of coaches who are formally educated [about sexual child abuse], but it’s not a big number,’’ Schmutz said. “Without mandatory education, it’s one of the challenges of running volunteer organizations and covering all scholastic coaches.’’
The difficulty of educating volunteer coaches is part of the reason Mike Singleton, executive director of Massachusetts Youth Soccer - which has included risk-management education for all of its coaches for almost a decade - says parents should get to know their children’s coaches.
“If you’re a parent and you show up at Macy’s and someone says, ‘I’m the Macy’s child care worker; just give your child to me,’ people would think that was an absurd idea,’’ Singleton said. “But as long as someone’s in athletic gear and says, ‘I’m a coach,’ people drop their kid off and leave. That’s absurd to me.’’
Beth Teitell can be reached at bteitell@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @bethteitell.
March 10, 2012
Beth Teitell, Bostron Globe Staff
When the Jerry Sandusky sex-abuse scandal broke at Pennsylvania State University last November, Al Perillo made a decision: Starting this year, all Pop Warner Football coaches in New England - not just head coaches, but assistants, too - will be required to learn what constitutes proper protocol.
“We want to make sure everyone is aware of the do’s and don’ts,’’ said Perillo, who lives in Everett and serves as Pop Warner’s New England director.
The online tutorial warns against such things as driving other children home from practices, advising coaches to instead call police if a child’s ride does not show and parents cannot be reached. Officials also plan to reemphasize the importance of touching athletes only in appropriate places, generally on the helmet for a football player, on the arm for a cheerleader.
“Don’t do anything that could be misconstrued,’’ Perillo said.
Welcome to coaching in 2012, a time when “risk management’’ goes way beyond walking the field before a game to check for broken glass or holes. After fall’s high-profile accusations - against Sandusky, an assistant football coach who was accused of sexually abusing 10 boys, and against Bernie Fine, an assistant basketball coach at Syracuse University fired amid allegations he molested two boys - a number of youth sports-related organizations are significantly strengthening existing child-protection efforts. Their goal: to prevent child abuse, and in some cases, to make sure that coaches do not inadvertently make themselves vulnerable to unfounded accusations.
Little League Baseball and Softball, which has almost 95,000 Massachusetts players, has e-mailed its volunteers worldwide to alert them that information about reporting suspected child abuse is available on the organization’s website.
“This whole Sandusky situation has brought this to the forefront,’’ said Steve Barr, Little League’s director of media relations.
In January, Positive Coaching Alliance, a California-based nonprofit with a Boston chapter, drafted guidelines for leagues and coaches. One section informs readers that among child-abuse victims, 90 percent “are abused by someone whom they know and trust’’ and reminds them that “statistics show most instances of child abuse go undetected.’’
“We see this as a great teachable moment,’’ said Jim Thompson, the group’s founder.
Criminal background checks, such as the Criminal Offender Record Information system used by Massachusetts youth sports organizations, are important, Thompson said, “but they don’t solve the problem. If you have a predator who hasn’t been caught or charged, they won’t show up. And often times with background checks from jurisdiction to jurisdiction you don’t pick up something.’’
While the Sandusky case has grabbed attention nationwide, those involved in youth sports say they are also motivated to refocus attention on child safety by local stories, and headlines that seem to keep coming: “Lawrence school worker gets 5 years on rape charge’’ (Associated Press, Jan. 6, 2012); “Man sexually assaulted by ex-coach faces him in court’’ (Lowell Sun, Feb. 9, 2011); “Former Coach Faces Child Porn Charges’’ (Globe, Feb. 26, 2011).
Many organizations, of course, began increasing child-protection efforts long before the charges against Sandusky, amid growing societal awareness of sexual predators at schools, in religious organizations, and in sports. Next week, after a couple of years of work, the US Olympic Committee plans to unveil a safe-sport handbook, launch a safe-sport website, and introduce an online coaching certification program.
Tensions surrounding child sex abuse are running so high that, around the time Perillo was deciding to beef up coach training, Daniel Lebowitz, executive director of Northeastern University’s Sport in Society Center, was fielding calls from coaches worried their own reputations might be stained by Sandusky. “Are people going to assume that because I’m a coach I’m doing this?’’ they asked.
Indeed, a number of local coaches and a Sports Illustrated columnist who coaches a boys’ junior varsity basketball team in California said the recent high-profile scandals prompted them to feel uncomfortable or to change their behavior.
“You do get nervous because someone can say something happened and it’s really our word against theirs, and you are automatically guilty,’’ said John Saia, of West Roxbury, a skating coach for the Boston Junior Bruins and a board member and coach for Parkway Youth Hockey. “It doesn’t matter what the truth is. I try to make sure I don’t get myself into a situation that could lead to any accusations.’’
“You know how you used to pat kids on the butt and send them into the game?’’ said Pat Inderwish, a veteran Pop Warner coach, and president of Central Massachusetts Pop Warner and Boylston/West Boylston Youth Football. “Some people see that as inappropriate contact now. Those are the things you’ve got to keep in your mind.’’
Phil Taylor, the Sports Illustrated columnist who wrote about his new policy against driving kids home from evening practices, said he was worried that he would be criticized for over-reacting, but instead he largely received support.
“They said they had exactly the same feelings of being alone with a player in a way they’d never thought about before,’’ he said in an interview with the Globe. “I also got a few responses from people who said, ‘Get over it. As long as you’re not a pervert, what do you have to worry about? Don’t let the child molesters win.’ But 90 percent of the responses were, ‘What a shame this is, but I know exactly what you are talking about.’’’
James C. Schmutz, executive director of the American Sport Education Program, an Illinois firm that sells coach education to scholastic and youth sport coaches and organizations, estimates that 44 million children between ages 7 and 17 participate in organized sports in the United States, with about 8 million coaches.
“There is no good data on the percentage of coaches who are formally educated [about sexual child abuse], but it’s not a big number,’’ Schmutz said. “Without mandatory education, it’s one of the challenges of running volunteer organizations and covering all scholastic coaches.’’
The difficulty of educating volunteer coaches is part of the reason Mike Singleton, executive director of Massachusetts Youth Soccer - which has included risk-management education for all of its coaches for almost a decade - says parents should get to know their children’s coaches.
“If you’re a parent and you show up at Macy’s and someone says, ‘I’m the Macy’s child care worker; just give your child to me,’ people would think that was an absurd idea,’’ Singleton said. “But as long as someone’s in athletic gear and says, ‘I’m a coach,’ people drop their kid off and leave. That’s absurd to me.’’
Beth Teitell can be reached at bteitell@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @bethteitell.
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Courtesy of our Friends at Friends for Fullerton's Future
"Subject: McKinley – Little League Opening Day
I contacted you last week informing you that McKinley had strong armed Golden Hill Little League via Parks & rec’s John Clements to speak at GHLL’s Opening Day this past weekend. Despite the league’s concerns given recent news re: Mr. McKinley and the fact that this is a children’s event, they were informed in no uncertain terms that as Mr. McKinley sat on committe responsible for assigning fields to youth programs, not letting him speak would be a bad idea. With their backs against the wall GHLL, a non-profit youth baseball league, decided to allow McKinley a few words.
And the dude NO-SHOWED…
So after strongarming GHLL and indirectly threatening to look unfavorably on their requests for city fields in the future, McKinley didn’t even show…or have the courtesy to have his people call GHLL to let them know. He was a no call/no show.
Lovely.
Message to Golden Hills Little League organizers: no good deed goes unpunished."
Courtesy of our Friends at Friends for Fullerton's Future
I contacted you last week informing you that McKinley had strong armed Golden Hill Little League via Parks & rec’s John Clements to speak at GHLL’s Opening Day this past weekend. Despite the league’s concerns given recent news re: Mr. McKinley and the fact that this is a children’s event, they were informed in no uncertain terms that as Mr. McKinley sat on committe responsible for assigning fields to youth programs, not letting him speak would be a bad idea. With their backs against the wall GHLL, a non-profit youth baseball league, decided to allow McKinley a few words.
And the dude NO-SHOWED…
So after strongarming GHLL and indirectly threatening to look unfavorably on their requests for city fields in the future, McKinley didn’t even show…or have the courtesy to have his people call GHLL to let them know. He was a no call/no show.
Lovely.
Message to Golden Hills Little League organizers: no good deed goes unpunished."
Courtesy of our Friends at Friends for Fullerton's Future
Friday, March 2, 2012
Pop Warner Weight Complaints
Re: Central Arkansas Pop Warner
« Reply #1 on: July 25, 2010, 09:26:31 AM »
Pop Warner sucks plain and simple. We played while in Florida and would watch kids not eat for 2 days to make weight then gorge carbs and power drinks between weigh in and the game, all so they could play down in class and try to be the better player rather than playing their own age. Sorry but 13 year olds shouldn't be trying to lose 5 pounds between Thursday and Saturday and then playing in 95 degree temps.If your kid grows at a young and weighs to much he can't play at all. I would gladly take the grade based leagues over Pop Warner any day.
« Reply #1 on: July 25, 2010, 09:26:31 AM »
Pop Warner sucks plain and simple. We played while in Florida and would watch kids not eat for 2 days to make weight then gorge carbs and power drinks between weigh in and the game, all so they could play down in class and try to be the better player rather than playing their own age. Sorry but 13 year olds shouldn't be trying to lose 5 pounds between Thursday and Saturday and then playing in 95 degree temps.If your kid grows at a young and weighs to much he can't play at all. I would gladly take the grade based leagues over Pop Warner any day.
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Former Pop Warner Coach Pleads to Child Molestation
Former Pop Warner Coach Pleads to Child Molestation, Sentenced to 24 Years in Prison
June 17, 2010
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contacts: Joe Scott, Director of CommunicationsSandi Gibbons, Public Information OfficerJane Robison, News SecretaryShiara Dávila, Assistant PIO(213) 974-3525
WHITTIER – A former Pop Warner football coach pleaded no contest today to sexually molesting four young boys who played on his teams and to molesting a fifth victim, a teenaged
girl, the District Attorney’s office announced.
Paul Anthony Ayala, 42, entered the plea before Superior Court Commissioner Loren Di Frank, said Deputy District Attorney Frank Dunnick. He was immediately sentenced to 24 years in state prison as part of a negotiated plea. He will also be required to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.
Ayala pleaded no contest to four counts of continuous sexual abuse of a child and one count of lewd act on a child involving all five victims, Dunnick.
The victims’ families were consulted and approved of the plea agreement and sentence, Dunnick said. Several families made emotional impact statements at today’s sentencing.
“Several of the victims and their families expressed concern over testifying in court, and this resolution spares them any additional stress and anxiety brought on by the court process,” Dunnick said.
Police were notified in February after one victim told a family member. The Sheriff’s Department launched an investigation. Ayala was initially charged with one felony count of oral copulation of a child under 10 and eight felony counts of sexual molestation of a child under 14 involving two boys, who were each 10 at the time of the incidents.
Three additional victims – two boys ages 10 and one girl who was 15 when she was fondled – came forward and charges were added. Ayala was charged with sexually molesting the victims between 2008 to February, 2010.
Courtesy of the Los Angeles County DA's office
June 17, 2010
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contacts: Joe Scott, Director of CommunicationsSandi Gibbons, Public Information OfficerJane Robison, News SecretaryShiara Dávila, Assistant PIO(213) 974-3525
WHITTIER – A former Pop Warner football coach pleaded no contest today to sexually molesting four young boys who played on his teams and to molesting a fifth victim, a teenaged
girl, the District Attorney’s office announced.
Paul Anthony Ayala, 42, entered the plea before Superior Court Commissioner Loren Di Frank, said Deputy District Attorney Frank Dunnick. He was immediately sentenced to 24 years in state prison as part of a negotiated plea. He will also be required to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.
Ayala pleaded no contest to four counts of continuous sexual abuse of a child and one count of lewd act on a child involving all five victims, Dunnick.
The victims’ families were consulted and approved of the plea agreement and sentence, Dunnick said. Several families made emotional impact statements at today’s sentencing.
“Several of the victims and their families expressed concern over testifying in court, and this resolution spares them any additional stress and anxiety brought on by the court process,” Dunnick said.
Police were notified in February after one victim told a family member. The Sheriff’s Department launched an investigation. Ayala was initially charged with one felony count of oral copulation of a child under 10 and eight felony counts of sexual molestation of a child under 14 involving two boys, who were each 10 at the time of the incidents.
Three additional victims – two boys ages 10 and one girl who was 15 when she was fondled – came forward and charges were added. Ayala was charged with sexually molesting the victims between 2008 to February, 2010.
Courtesy of the Los Angeles County DA's office
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Junior All American Accommodates Higher Weights
TOPIC: Age and Weights
Charles S
February 15, 20125:54:26 PM Entry #: 3867055
My son played Fullerton Pop Warner Flag last year because he was to big to play tackle. He's 7 yrs old and wants to play tackle this year. Are the below age and weights set in stone? He currently is about 100 lbs now. Is my only option that he lose the 10-15 pounds to play? Jr Mitey Mite: ages 7 & 8 between 45-90 pounds Mitey Mite: ages 7, 8 & 9 between 45-90 pounds I'm reluctant to put him in any division higher then these because I think he'll get knocked around too much.
anabelryn
February 16, 20125:53:06 PM Entry #: 3867576
This happened to my son last year. needless to say my son was hopelessly trying to make weight for tackle at 7 being a very fast, husky boy barley made weight @ 96 lbs without pads. two weeks into practice he quit and i lost around $300 but i did hear about the all american league who is suppose to be pretty good with higher weight limits, also flag for 7,8 year old's. Unfortunately my son was scared away from football and choose not to continue but Check them out @fullertonbears
http://www.leaguelineup.com/forumsdetail.asp?sid=648407717&url=fullerton_popwarner&itemid=3867055
Charles S
February 15, 20125:54:26 PM Entry #: 3867055
My son played Fullerton Pop Warner Flag last year because he was to big to play tackle. He's 7 yrs old and wants to play tackle this year. Are the below age and weights set in stone? He currently is about 100 lbs now. Is my only option that he lose the 10-15 pounds to play? Jr Mitey Mite: ages 7 & 8 between 45-90 pounds Mitey Mite: ages 7, 8 & 9 between 45-90 pounds I'm reluctant to put him in any division higher then these because I think he'll get knocked around too much.
anabelryn
February 16, 20125:53:06 PM Entry #: 3867576
This happened to my son last year. needless to say my son was hopelessly trying to make weight for tackle at 7 being a very fast, husky boy barley made weight @ 96 lbs without pads. two weeks into practice he quit and i lost around $300 but i did hear about the all american league who is suppose to be pretty good with higher weight limits, also flag for 7,8 year old's. Unfortunately my son was scared away from football and choose not to continue but Check them out @fullertonbears
http://www.leaguelineup.com/forumsdetail.asp?sid=648407717&url=fullerton_popwarner&itemid=3867055
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Lack of mandatory controls, audit requirements, leave youth sports programs open to fraud
Lack of mandatory controls, audit requirements, leave private youth sports programs open to fraud
Written byShawn Cohen
New City Little League President Lon Hofstein spent much of his week on damage control, holding emergency board sessions, contacting vendors and working the bleachers at three baseball games at Zukor Park to calm parents who were rattled by allegations that the league's treasurer had stolen $100,000.
"I assured them that the board of directors is committed to making sure the programs run smoothly," Hofstein said.
The arrest of longtime treasurer Joyce Bidnick, however, shed light on a problem that runs deeply not only in New City, but in nonprofit youth sports programs across the region and nation.
The problem: Many of these locally run programs have little or no financial oversight, minimal reporting requirements and no annual audits.
"In this case, the treasurer was in this position for eight years and had been stealing for eight years," Rockland County District Attorney Thomas Zugibe said. "Nobody was watching the store, except for the person that was watching the money. There are no controls, and that's the problem."
Little League International, which charters thousands of baseball and softball leagues in the United States with 2.35 million players, issues a manual that recommends ways to prevent fraud, but imposes no requirements on volunteers who run the local leagues.
"The local league is responsible for its finances," Little League International spokesman Chris Downs said. "We don't audit. We leave it in the hands of the local league — the board of directors elected by members of the league — to run their league and be responsible for the operation of their league, including their finances."
The same is true for the national Pop Warner Little Scholars, which oversees youth football programs.
Jon Butler, the executive director of Pop Warner who is also vice president of the National Council of Youth Sports, said theft in youth sports is increasingly common because more volunteers are recognizing how to exploit the lax system.
"I saw that in the news this morning," Butler said Thursday of Bidnick's arrest. "Theft and misuse of funds is a growing problem for all youth sports organizations, and it's a topic of regular discussion at our (NCYS) meetings. It used to be rare that we'd hear of it, either through Pop Warner or NCYS. Now I hear about one problem every week or two nationally. It's a shame because, in most cases, those kids helped raise that money and it goes towards uniforms and equipment to allow them to play in a very wholesome, healthy activity."
One factor that helps make youth sports leagues popular — that they are run exclusively for and by members of the community — is also a primary reason they are ripe for abuse.
"All youth sports organizations are manned by volunteers at the local level," Butler said.
"Frequently, there is not the level of accountability and oversight that you would hope there would be."
Getting experienced volunteers is part of the challenge.
"Many do not have enough (directors) to run their programs," said Joe Sagaria, administrator for the District 18 Little Leagues in Rockland County and Tuxedo in Orange County. "Parents would rather pay the money and not have anything to do with helping out. It's not like in the 1950s and '60s, when the leagues came into existence and participants were interested in volunteering. Parents basically say, 'I'll give you the money, don't bother me.'"
Bidnick, 58, a married mom who had been treasurer since 2003, was charged Tuesday with second-degree larceny, accused of stealing league money by writing checks to herself and to cash without authorization. She is accused of falsifying monthly account balances and reports she gave to the board.
League officials became suspicious and reported her to authorities when Bidnick tried to replace the stolen money, Zugibe said.
She is the second Rockland league treasurer in less than two years to face larceny charges.
Karen Ramos, 43, with the Stony Point Little League, was charged in July 2009 with stealing $156,150 from the organization. She pleaded guilty in June to grand larceny, avoiding prison by repaying the money with the help of her parents.
Dr. Russ Petro, a veterinarian from Stony Point, said he was so upset by that arrest that he chastised his 12-year-old son's Little League coach, who doubles as a board member.
"Geez, don't you have any checks and balances?" he asked the coach.
Petro, who pays a couple of hundred dollars a season so his son can play baseball, said, "I still get a little apprehensive about where the money is going."
Over in White Plains on Friday, Dr. Jeffrey Schoengold hadn't heard of the recent arrest. He was focused on his 10-year-old son, Joe, who was playing third base for the Volcanoes in a game against the Thunder.
"That's my son!" Schoengold, a local dentist, shouted after his son tagged out a runner trying to steal third.
He said he was disappointed someone would steal from youth sports, but acknowledged he has paid no attention to how his Little League money gets spent.
"I have enough trouble figuring the logistics of all the games," said Schoengold, who has four children in the league. "I would hope there's good oversight. With most parents, that's not on our minds. I hope that it does open eyes here, that the right people will be concerned."
Local sports leagues are generally not required by the federal or state government to undergo annual audits because of their size.
"A lot of Little Leagues and youth organizations do not have the level of revenue that requires an independent auditor," said David Ashenfarb, former chairman of the New York State Society of CPAs' nonprofit organizations committee. "That's the first problem or weakness in the system."
While the state Attorney General's Office says it will pursue all allegations of fraud, no one expects the agency will start investigating youth sports on a systematic level. Many leagues don't even have to register with the A.G.'s charities bureau because they make less than $25,000 a year.
"You're not going to get a lot of bang for your buck trying to search out smaller entities that haven't registered," Ashenfarb said.
So the policing of the leagues generally starts within the members themselves. In Stony Point, the board enacted new safeguards after its treasurer was arrested. In New City, Hofstein said his board has just appointed a committee to oversee finances.
There have been no recent reports of serious financial abuse in the sports leagues of Westchester and Putnam counties. Officials say this is at least partly because many of the organizations already institute recommended safeguards, such as requiring two signatures on checks and hiring accountants to audit their books.
"All money that's either taken in or spent is accounted for in a biweekly report," said Chris Cooper, president of the Eastchester Blue Devils, which runs a Pop Warner program. "This way everybody's on the same page."
Al Tarantino, treasurer of the Brewster Little League, said his board reviews all receipts, requires double signatures on checks and hires a CPA to do an annual audit.
"I think every Little League team should be audited every year, because the temptation is there," Tarantino said.
Rockland's district attorney said the abuse that led to two arrests in his county was easily preventable.
"If there were double signatures required, this would never have happened," Zugibe said. "It is within the power of these boards to stop this from happening."
Written byShawn Cohen
New City Little League President Lon Hofstein spent much of his week on damage control, holding emergency board sessions, contacting vendors and working the bleachers at three baseball games at Zukor Park to calm parents who were rattled by allegations that the league's treasurer had stolen $100,000.
"I assured them that the board of directors is committed to making sure the programs run smoothly," Hofstein said.
The arrest of longtime treasurer Joyce Bidnick, however, shed light on a problem that runs deeply not only in New City, but in nonprofit youth sports programs across the region and nation.
The problem: Many of these locally run programs have little or no financial oversight, minimal reporting requirements and no annual audits.
"In this case, the treasurer was in this position for eight years and had been stealing for eight years," Rockland County District Attorney Thomas Zugibe said. "Nobody was watching the store, except for the person that was watching the money. There are no controls, and that's the problem."
Little League International, which charters thousands of baseball and softball leagues in the United States with 2.35 million players, issues a manual that recommends ways to prevent fraud, but imposes no requirements on volunteers who run the local leagues.
"The local league is responsible for its finances," Little League International spokesman Chris Downs said. "We don't audit. We leave it in the hands of the local league — the board of directors elected by members of the league — to run their league and be responsible for the operation of their league, including their finances."
The same is true for the national Pop Warner Little Scholars, which oversees youth football programs.
Jon Butler, the executive director of Pop Warner who is also vice president of the National Council of Youth Sports, said theft in youth sports is increasingly common because more volunteers are recognizing how to exploit the lax system.
"I saw that in the news this morning," Butler said Thursday of Bidnick's arrest. "Theft and misuse of funds is a growing problem for all youth sports organizations, and it's a topic of regular discussion at our (NCYS) meetings. It used to be rare that we'd hear of it, either through Pop Warner or NCYS. Now I hear about one problem every week or two nationally. It's a shame because, in most cases, those kids helped raise that money and it goes towards uniforms and equipment to allow them to play in a very wholesome, healthy activity."
One factor that helps make youth sports leagues popular — that they are run exclusively for and by members of the community — is also a primary reason they are ripe for abuse.
"All youth sports organizations are manned by volunteers at the local level," Butler said.
"Frequently, there is not the level of accountability and oversight that you would hope there would be."
Getting experienced volunteers is part of the challenge.
"Many do not have enough (directors) to run their programs," said Joe Sagaria, administrator for the District 18 Little Leagues in Rockland County and Tuxedo in Orange County. "Parents would rather pay the money and not have anything to do with helping out. It's not like in the 1950s and '60s, when the leagues came into existence and participants were interested in volunteering. Parents basically say, 'I'll give you the money, don't bother me.'"
Bidnick, 58, a married mom who had been treasurer since 2003, was charged Tuesday with second-degree larceny, accused of stealing league money by writing checks to herself and to cash without authorization. She is accused of falsifying monthly account balances and reports she gave to the board.
League officials became suspicious and reported her to authorities when Bidnick tried to replace the stolen money, Zugibe said.
She is the second Rockland league treasurer in less than two years to face larceny charges.
Karen Ramos, 43, with the Stony Point Little League, was charged in July 2009 with stealing $156,150 from the organization. She pleaded guilty in June to grand larceny, avoiding prison by repaying the money with the help of her parents.
Dr. Russ Petro, a veterinarian from Stony Point, said he was so upset by that arrest that he chastised his 12-year-old son's Little League coach, who doubles as a board member.
"Geez, don't you have any checks and balances?" he asked the coach.
Petro, who pays a couple of hundred dollars a season so his son can play baseball, said, "I still get a little apprehensive about where the money is going."
Over in White Plains on Friday, Dr. Jeffrey Schoengold hadn't heard of the recent arrest. He was focused on his 10-year-old son, Joe, who was playing third base for the Volcanoes in a game against the Thunder.
"That's my son!" Schoengold, a local dentist, shouted after his son tagged out a runner trying to steal third.
He said he was disappointed someone would steal from youth sports, but acknowledged he has paid no attention to how his Little League money gets spent.
"I have enough trouble figuring the logistics of all the games," said Schoengold, who has four children in the league. "I would hope there's good oversight. With most parents, that's not on our minds. I hope that it does open eyes here, that the right people will be concerned."
Local sports leagues are generally not required by the federal or state government to undergo annual audits because of their size.
"A lot of Little Leagues and youth organizations do not have the level of revenue that requires an independent auditor," said David Ashenfarb, former chairman of the New York State Society of CPAs' nonprofit organizations committee. "That's the first problem or weakness in the system."
While the state Attorney General's Office says it will pursue all allegations of fraud, no one expects the agency will start investigating youth sports on a systematic level. Many leagues don't even have to register with the A.G.'s charities bureau because they make less than $25,000 a year.
"You're not going to get a lot of bang for your buck trying to search out smaller entities that haven't registered," Ashenfarb said.
So the policing of the leagues generally starts within the members themselves. In Stony Point, the board enacted new safeguards after its treasurer was arrested. In New City, Hofstein said his board has just appointed a committee to oversee finances.
There have been no recent reports of serious financial abuse in the sports leagues of Westchester and Putnam counties. Officials say this is at least partly because many of the organizations already institute recommended safeguards, such as requiring two signatures on checks and hiring accountants to audit their books.
"All money that's either taken in or spent is accounted for in a biweekly report," said Chris Cooper, president of the Eastchester Blue Devils, which runs a Pop Warner program. "This way everybody's on the same page."
Al Tarantino, treasurer of the Brewster Little League, said his board reviews all receipts, requires double signatures on checks and hires a CPA to do an annual audit.
"I think every Little League team should be audited every year, because the temptation is there," Tarantino said.
Rockland's district attorney said the abuse that led to two arrests in his county was easily preventable.
"If there were double signatures required, this would never have happened," Zugibe said. "It is within the power of these boards to stop this from happening."
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