SPRINGBORO, Ohio — The former treasurer of the Springboro Clearcreek Baseball Association pleaded guilty Monday to aggravated theft of more than $150,000 in league funds, the Journal-News reported.
Prosecutor David Fornshell said Renee Nichols, 47, of Springboro, used the embezzled funds for a Disney vacation, paying off personal credit card bills and other personal expenditures.
Nichols, who began serving as league treasurer in 2011, was indicted on Oct. 15 on charges of aggravated theft and tampering with records and served almost six months in jail after not being able to post a $750,000 bond.
Judge Donald Oda II indicated he planned to put Nichols on probation provided she repay the league $175,000. Oda released her from electronic monitoring Monday pending sentencing in about two months.
The missing money came to light in 2017 when a new board member, a Certified Public Accountant, began looking into the organization’s finances and discovered no Form 990 had been filed with the IRS, outlining the group’s financial status, Fornshell said at the time of the indictment.
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