Holbrook Little League ex-officials plead guilty to theft, but likely to avoid prison time

Mike Davis | Asbury Park Press

Show Caption Hide Caption Former Holbrook Little League officials pled guilty to theft Holbrook Little League's former president and Anthony Del Vecchio and treasurer John Lehmann plead guilty to charges they stole from the organization.

TOMS RIVER — The former president and treasurer of Holbrook Little League pleaded guilty Monday to charges they stole from the organization but will likely avoid prison if they pay back the money.

Anthony Del Vecchio, 54, and John Lehmann, 57, admitted in state Superior Court in Ocean County that they converted over $126,000 in league funds to their benefit between 2014 and 2017.

The pair were indicted on second-degree charges of theft by unlawful taking, but entered guilty pleas on third-degree charges as part of a plea deal. A second-degree crime carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison; a third-degree crime provides for a five-year maximum sentence.

As part of the plea deal, prosecutors will recommend noncustodial probation — probation without incarceration — if Del Vecchio and Lehmann each make a payment of $63,085.41.

The restitution will have to be paid upon their sentencing dates. Del Vecchio is scheduled to be sentenced Jan. 24, while Lehmann's sentencing is set for March 13.

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“I expect the defendant to be ready on that date with the amount agreed upon, or he will go to prison,” Judge Rochelle Gizinski said.

Attorney Richard Lomurro, representing Del Vecchio, said his client has "long desired the opportunity to apologize to the Little League.

“His primary motivation is to get that money to them as soon as possible,” Lomurro said, specifically requesting the earliest sentencing date possible.

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The same was true for Lehmann, said Michael Chazen, his attorney.

"From day one, John Lehmann's concern has been about getting money back to the Little League," Chazen said. "This is a case with no winners, but the result is a good one for everyone involved. Mr. Lehmann faced 10 years in a New Jersey state prison, and the Little League faced an enormous financial loss.

"This resolution helps avoid both of those possibilities."

Del Vecchio and Lehmann were arrested in February 2018, just six months after the league's miracle run to the Little League World Series and 24 hours after an Asbury Park Press investigation unveiled financial turmoil at the league.

The report was sparked by concerned parents who had been waiting months to receive fundraising money from donors that was to help families defray the costs of the team's traveling to the Little League World Series.

The Press donated $2,000 to the campaign.

The league was also years behind on filing paperwork with both the Internal Revenue Service and state Consumer Affairs division. The IRS briefly revoked Holbrook's nonprofit status as a result.

"They just slapped every single parent and child in the face, saying that all they have to do is pay it back," said Jackson resident Marianne Kinsman, one of the first to raise questions about league finances.

Kinsman attended the hearing with her son, Ryan, who played on the 2017 Little League World Series team.

"What about the money I'm never going to get paid back" for expenses related to the Little League World Series trip, she asked.

Theft and embezzlement in youth sports have run rampant over the last decade, especially at the Jersey Shore.

Another Press investigation revealed that former officials of youth sports leagues have been charged with stealing over $1.4 million in Monmouth and Ocean counties alone, buoyed by lax regulations and little enforcement from state or federal authorities.

At the same time, youth sports has turned into big business in New Jersey, where parents spend an estimated $800 million for their kids to play sports. Nationwide, it's a $19 billion industry.

The Press investigation prompted legislation introduced by Assemblyman Ronald Dancer, R-Ocean, which would impose transparency requirements on youth sports leagues.

Mike Davis has spent the last decade covering New Jersey local news, marijuana legalization, transportation and basically whatever else is happening. Contact him at 732-643-4223, mdavis@gannettnj.com or @byMikeDavis on Twitter.