She stole $300,000 from a Mansfield youth baseball league. Now she’s going to prison.
Editor’s note: The headline of this story was edited about a half hour after publication to remove an incorrect reference to a youth baseball organization.
A volunteer who stole more than $295,000 from a nonprofit youth baseball league was sentenced to eight years of prison and restitution payments Wednesday.
Jennifer Sue Witteveen, 52, volunteered with the Mansfield Youth Baseball Association and was the association’s treasurer from January 2012 to July 2018. She got involved when her child joined the baseball team, according to a press release from the Tarrant County District Attorney’s Office.
As the treasurer, Witteveen, who is from Arlington, started making unauthorized cash withdrawals from the group and writing fake checks.
“This defendant took advantage of her leadership position in a nonprofit organization that was supposed to be all about helping kids and making the city of Mansfield a great place for children to grow up,” said white collar unit prosecutor Johnny Newbern in the press release. “Instead, she lined her own pockets.”
When confronted about the theft, Witteveen initially said she was using the money to pay off medical bills. However, she spent only 2 percent of the money on medical costs. She spent $22,000 on Amazon purchases and almost $50,000 on fast food and restaurants, the DA’s office said.
Witteveen pleaded guilty to a first-degree felony theft charge, and Judge Elizabeth Beach sentenced her to eight years in prison. Beach also ordered Witteveen to make restitution payments to the association.
“Every dollar she took could have had a real impact on children in our community. That’s something that cannot be repaid,” Newbern said in the release. “I am proud of our system for ensuring that justice was served.”
This story was originally published January 22, 2020 at 12:42 PM.
