Freehold Soccer League ex-treasurer gets 6 years in prison in $400K theft

FREEHOLD - A judge on Friday sentenced the former treasurer of the Freehold Soccer League to six years in prison for stealing about $400,000 from the youth club and also ordered him to pay back the pilfered funds.

Superior Court Judge Vincent N. Falcetano imposed the prison term on Anthony Gallo, 57, of Saxon Court, Freehold, and ordered him to pay $280,000 in restitution.

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Gallo had already paid back more than $119,000 that he stole form the soccer league in an unsuccessful effort to hide the crime, authorities said.

The league's president had become suspicious in March 2016 upon learning that the youth club's bills for uniforms had not been paid and that money was missing from its bank accounts, authorities said. The president contacted the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office, which opened an investigation.

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Gallo was charged last year with theft and other offenses in a 14-count indictment, following the probe by the prosecutor's Financial Crimes Unit. Gallo subsequently pleaded guilty Nov. 13 to second-degree theft, admitting to Falcetano then that he stole the funds between 2012 and 2016, while serving in a volunteer capacity as the soccer league's treasurer.

With access to the league's operating accounts, Gallo wrote checks totaling more than $300,000 to himself and a company he owned, and he also made numerous, unauthorized automated-teller-machine withdrawals, authorities said.

He put back more than $119,000 into the accounts before he was charged in an effort to escape detection, authorities said.

The remaining charges in the indictment were dismissed as part of a plea bargain.

The case was prosecuted by Lawrence Nelson, assistant Monmouth County prosecutor.

Defense attorney Tara Breslow of Red Bank represented Gallo.

Kathleen Hopkins: 732-643-4202; Khopkins@app.com