A former bookkeeper for Martin County South Little League is accused of taking thousands of dollars from the organization, according to the sheriff's office.
Over a year's time, Kandy Penenori stole nearly $14,000 and used the funds to shop at stores such as Walmart, Target and Bass Pro Shops, the sheriff's office said.
She had direct access to the little league's debit and bank numbers, the sheriff's office said.
The organization said it is deeply saddened and has implemented additional security measures to prevent anything similar from happening in the future.
The sheriff's office arrested Penenori and booked her into the Martin County Jail on a $100,000 bond.
Martin County South Little League posted the following statement:
Little League Parents and Sponsors,
In late February, 2017 board members of the Martin County South Little League became aware of suspicious activity occurring with league bank accounts. The information was immediately turned over to the Martin County Sheriff’s Office for a full investigation. During the course of the investigation, it was determined that an alleged theft of funds occurred, possibly involving a member of our board. At the onset of the investigation, the board member was immediately removed from all little league activities. After a complete and thorough investigation by the Sheriff’s Office, an arrest of the board member occurred on May 12, 2017. We were unable to inform our parents and sponsors at an earlier date due to the need to preserve the integrity of the investigation.
We are deeply saddened by this breach of trust, and as a result, the current board has implemented additional security measures to keep this from happening again. The Martin County South Little League remains financially stable and the league is stronger than ever. We are in the process of contacting all of our sponsors so they can be confident that all donations have been properly applied.
On behalf of the board, I would like to personally thank all of our families and sponsors for making the 2017 Spring Season one of the best ever for our kids. We are continuing to explore new and innovative ways to make MCSLL an even better experience for our players and families. We look forward to seeing everyone back in the fall and spring.
The Martin County South Little League has created a GoFundMe page. Any donations will go directly to the league.