Pair Plead Guilty To $126K Theft From Holbrook Little League

TOMS RIVER, NJ — The former president and treasurer of the Holbrook Little League pleaded guilty Monday to stealing more than $126,000 from the league, the Ocean County prosecutor's office said.

Anthony Del Vecchio, 64, and John Lehmann, 56, both of Jackson, each pleaded guilty to third-degree theft by unlawful taking before Ocean County Superior Court Judge Rochelle Gizinski, Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said. The two were indicted in March 2019.

The plea agreement includes a recommendation of probation for both men, on the condition that they each pay $63,085.41 in restitution to Holbrook Little League and perform 100 hours of community service. Del Vecchio is scheduled to be sentenced Jan. 24, and Lehmann is scheduled to be sentenced on March 13, both before Gizinski.

Both men must pay the restitution in full on or before their respective sentencing dates under the plea agreement.

"If they don’t come up with the restitution in full, we will be seeking a custodial sentence," Billhimer said.

The plea agreement was made with the consent of the Holbrook Little League executive board, he said.

Del Vecchio, the league's former president, and Lehmann, who was its treasurer, were arrested in February 2018 in connection with the thefts, which the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office said happened over a three-year period.

The thefts were uncovered in the wake of the Little League World Series run by the Holbrook team in 2017, where the Holbrook 12-year-old All-Stars reached the semifinals of the United States championship pool in Williamsport. Afterward, parents who had been promised distributions from fundraising done to support the team began asking questions, eventually taking their questions to authorities.

An anonymous letter detailing the theft of funds prompted an investigation begun in December 2017 by the Economic Crimes Unit of the prosecutor's office.

The subsequent investigation found the two men had taken more than $126,000 for their benefit. Del Vecchio and Lehmann were the only signatories on the leauge's account and both signatures were required on all checks.

Billhimer praised Assistant Prosecutor Christopher Heisler and "the diligent efforts of the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Economic Crime Squad and High Tech Crime Unit for bringing the two defendants to justice."

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