Man pleads guilty to embezzlement
Marisa O’Neil
A former youth soccer leader pleaded guilty on Friday to embezzling
more than $100,000 from a local league.
Anthony Leon Anish, a former American Youth Soccer Organization
regional commissioner and coach, was sentenced to three years formal
probation and ordered to wear an electronic monitoring device for 90
days, in lieu of jail time, said Mark Macaulay, spokesman for the
Orange County district attorney’s office.
Anish also settled a civil lawsuit, filed against him in 2003,
with the AYSO three weeks ago and agreed to pay $70,000 to the
league. He cited his desire to avoid further attorney fees as his
reason for agreeing to the settlement.
Outside the courtroom, parents and AYSO board members said they
were glad that he pleaded guilty to the charges. They characterized
Anish as a man who charmed his way into their and their children’s
hearts, stole from them and then lied about it.
It will take a long time for the community to get over the
incident, AYSO regional commissioner Chris Sarris said. He also said
he’s glad the whole sordid affair is over.
“This doesn’t heal the community or the children who played on his
team,” Sarris said.
Prosecutor Steve Bickel and Anish’s attorney, Jerry Workman,
refused to comment on the case.
Friday’s plea brought some closure, but it also brought some
disappointment that Anish didn’t get a harsher sentence, parent and
board member Gail Hedrich said.
Anish took over the league in 2001 and was in charge of collecting
and maintaining its funds. Audits of the books after he took over
showed the thousands of dollars missing, board member Pam Garrett
said.
The allegations divided the community, she said, with people who
staunchly supported him and people who saw him as a con man. What’s
most hurtful, Garrett said, is that someone she and others trusted
stole from them.
“We considered him a friend and spent time with him,” Garrett
said. “I feel guilty that I allowed this to happen.”
Anish has so far paid $50,000 in restitution, according to the
district attorney’s office, and has six months to pay the remaining
$20,000. If he does not, he will be responsible for a $130,000 claim
by the AYSO.
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