Montco to Host Forums on Preventing Financial Fraud in Youth Sports Clubs

"Youth sports groups all too often fall victim to theft and fraud perpetrated by trusted volunteers," said Controller Stewart J. Greenleaf Jr. in a release.  

He pointed out that the District Attorney’s office is currently prosecuting Michael H. Hrouda of North Hills for allegedly stealing  a total of $40,000 from the Abington Bulldogs Youth Wrestling Club and the Ardsley North Hills Athletic Association.  

"As purely volunteer organizations, youth sports groups are particularly susceptible to these kinds of crimes," Greenleaf said. "Leaders of these organizations have busy lives and have difficulty devoting innumerable hours to protecting the organizations’ finances.  Moreover, the leaders of these groups come from diverse professional backgrounds, and may not be aware of the best ways to protect the group’s funds. However, such thefts can be prevented, or at least quickly uncovered, by implementing simple financial controls.

"A primary function of my office is to identify and remedy the absence of those safeguards in county government," Greenleaf said. "And, the District Attorney’s office is unmatched in its ability to uncover fraud and determine how it was perpetrated. These presentations are intended to share that knowledge and expertise with youth sports groups in the county so that they can protect their own funds and the children the funds are meant to benefit."

The District Attorney's Office will also provide a presentation on fundraising activities to ensure youth sports organizations don't run afoul of state gaming laws.

The presentations are open to any Montgomery County youth sports organization and its volunteers.   

There are three presentations scheduled throughout the county:

• 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 12 at the Upper Dublin Township Building, 801 Loch Alsh Ave, Ft. Washington. 

• 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 18 at the Upper Merion Township Building, 175 W. Valley Forge Road, King of Prussia. 

• 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 25 at the Lower Salford Township Building, 379 Main St. (Route 63/Sumneytown Pike), Harleysville. 

RSVP to Daren Miller at 610-278-3072 or dmiller3@montcopa.org.