Suffield Woman Pays Back Stolen Funds to Little League

A former treasurer of the Thompsonville Little League who was arrested in June on charges of stealing thousands of dollars from the league treasury has paid restitution, according to a league official.

Kristie Perez-Bonilla, 38, who now resides in Suffield, paid $7,300 to the Enfield Little League as restitution, the league official said.

The official also said he believed she had been granted accelerated rehabilitation by an Enfield Superior Court judge.

A check of online judicial records states Perez-Bonilla’s status as “awaiting disposition” and her next court appearance is not scheduled until Oct. 27, 2016.

She had been charged with third-degree larceny in connection with the theft of money from the league, which she served as treasurer beginning in Oct. 2013.

The Thompsonville Little League merged with the Enfield Little League after the 2014 season, and Perez-Bonilla was requested to file a 2014 tax return to close out the league account. She was asked for copies of forms and documents of all financial transactions related to the league, but kept stalling, saying she would get them later, Police Chief Carl Sferrazza said at the time of her arrest.

Eventually, she provided a QuickBooks statement of income and alleged expenses covering from Jan. 2014 to March 2015, but the totals did not add up, Sferrazza said.

She presented league officials a check for $6,640.27, claiming it was the final balance on the since-closed account. She still did not provide the requested documentation, the chief said.

League officials filed a complaint with the police department on Apr. 23, and an investigation revealed a considerable sum was unaccounted for. On May 19, Perez-Bonilla was interviewed by police, and admitted she had taken money for personal expenses such as rent, food and medical bills, Sferrazza said.

Police applied for an arrest warrant, which was executed June 16.

Photo credit: Wendy Sitomer via flickr creative commons