Police have arrested the former treasurer of a youth soccer team in Florida for allegedly using approximately $146,000 of the team’s funds for trips and personal expenses.
The Manatee County Sheriff’s Office announced on Friday that deputies took Nancy Kelly Fetzner, 52, into custody on an active warrant. According to court records, deputies arrested her on a charge of scheme to defraud $50,000 or more, a first-degree felony.
On June 29, the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office received information about the possible theft of funds involving the North Manatee Soccer Club based out of Palmetto, Florida.
Detectives said they learned that club members suspected Fetzner, the club’s treasurer from 2015 to 2026, of using club funds for personal needs after they spoke with them and reviewed financial documents.
According to the sheriff’s office, Fetzner allegedly used mobile deposits to transfer almost $44,000 into a club subaccount starting in August 2023. To pay for personal living and travel expenses, she also moved about $102,000 from the main business account into the same subaccount, resulting in the loss of more than $146,000.
Buffalo Creek Middle School was also investigating to determine whether similar behavior took place there, according to the arrest-warrant affidavit. However, authorities have filed no charges related to the school.
She allegedly used the funds for numerous personal expenses
The arrest-warrant affidavit alleged she made purchases, including jewelry, travel, retail deliveries, and other personal expenses, as well as purchases connected to Disney, Las Vegas, Tampa Bay Rays and Tampa Bay Lightning games, and a Royal Caribbean Cruise.
The Manatee Soccer Club president told investigators that Fetzner said a “glitch” in the Chase banking system allowed anyone viewing the corporate account to see her personal account.
Business Observer reports that the affidavit states that when an investigator spoke with Fetzner’s husband, he said he had no idea of what had been happening and offered to write a $30,000 check to the North Manatee Soccer Club to “make all the charges drop and disappear.”
“The money involved is not simply numbers on a balance sheet. These are funds entrusted to Mutiny Soccer Club by our families, sponsors, donors and community partners,” the Mutiny Soccer Club, which is run by the North Manatee Soccer Club, posted on Facebook. “They include registration fees, sponsorships and donations from businesses and individuals who chose to support our players and our mission.
“Members of our own Board and their businesses are among those whose contributions are part of the financial review. Our entire Mutiny community has been affected by this situation. We are committed to determining exactly what occurred, assisting law enforcement in its investigation, pursuing every appropriate avenue to recover club funds and ensuring accountability through the appropriate legal process.”