A high school football mom in Aliso Viejo, California, has been accused of embezzling more than $400,000 from her son’s team’s booster club. She is accused of using part of the funds to pay off past-due credit card and mortgage debts.
On Thursday, September 10, the football mom was taken into custody by the FBI at her Aliso Viejo residence. The woman, reportedly a professional CPA, served as treasurer for the high school football non-profit booster club. She has been charged with four counts of wire fraud.
ABC 7 News reports that she answered a call from the authorities when agents got to her house, and emerged from the home with her hands raised a little while later.
The woman’s husband, who had just departed the home before her arrest, appeared perplexed as FBI officers took his wife away. He is not charged with any crimes and claimed he had no idea what was happening.
She allegedly embezzled over $400,000 from the organization
She is charged with stealing $411,761 between 2023 and November 2025 from a non-profit organization that supports football at Aliso Niguel High School, then concealing the transactions.
According to a federal indictment, in order to settle the outstanding mortgage payment on her personal home, she transferred about $131,523 from the non-profit’s Laguna Hills bank account to an account in Santa Ana via Federal Reserve facilities in New Jersey and Texas in June 2023.
She allegedly sent multiple emails to the non-profit’s board members with fictitious treasurer reports that omitted information about her misappropriation of funds in order to hide the unauthorized payments.
“The Wolverine Football Club is aware of the recent developments regarding the former treasurer,” the organization said in a statement, according to NBC Los Angeles. “We have been cooperating fully with law enforcement throughout this process and will continue to do so.”
The prosecutor and mayor of the city also made statements
“We’re going after all fraud, big or small. This treasurer managed community funds for student athletes and breached that trust,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said in a statement, adding, “This defendant was entrusted by the community with safeguarding money raised for young adults. She violated that trust and is now a charged felon. Our prosecutors are committed to holding her fully accountable, including seeking a federal prison sentence.”
If convicted, the 56-year-old mom faces a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison for each charge.
“The allegations are deeply disappointing, particularly because these funds were intended to support our young athletes and their experience at Aliso Niguel High School,” Aliso Viejo Mayor Max Duncan said in a statement.
“Aliso Viejo is a community with many young families, and youth sports are such an important part of who we are. As a father whose children have participated in youth sports here in our community, I understand how much these programs mean to our kids and their families.”