JACKSON – While the boys of the Holbrook Little League were everybody’s hometown heroes, police say the men managing the team’s finances were villains.
League president Anthony M. Del Vecchio, 63, and league treasurer John M. Lehmann, 55, both of Jackson Township, were charged with 2nd degree Theft and Conspiracy to Commit Theft for the misappropriation of league finances, according to a release from the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office.
The county’s Economic Crimes Unit began investigating them in December after receiving an anonymous tip about theft of funds, police said. What followed was an extensive review of Holbrook’s finances from 2014 until now.
Executive board members allowed the prosecutor’s office to look at the books, the press release noted. Board members raised concerns about discrepancies in the accounts.
It was determined that Del Vecchio and Lehmann, who were the only two who had full control of the money, had converted more than $118,000 of the Holbrook Little League funds to themselves. Additionally, the Economic Crimes Unit reported that Lehmann used the league’s debit card for more than $500 worth of charges inappropriately.
Del Vecchio surrendered to the prosecutor’s office this morning, accompanied by his attorney, Richard LoMurro of Freehold. Lehmann was arrested at his job later in the day with the assistance of Rahway police.
Detective Denis Mitchell, of the prosecutor’s office’s Economic Crime Unit, was the lead investigator on the case. Senior Assistant Prosecutor Jill O’Malley reviewed the findings and approved the charges.
