Another sports organization is targeted in apparent embezzlement
By Sylvie Belmond belmond@theacorn.com

A Thousand Oaks man was arrested earlier this month on charges of stealing about $120,000 from a local soccer organization.

Alan Olin, a former volunteer treasurer of Conejo Valley Unified Soccer Club, is accused of moving money between several bank accounts managed by the club.

Small but frequent transfers were allegedly made between 2002 and 2007 and apparently landed in Olin's personal account.

An investigation was begun after members of the soccer club reported discrepancies and possible fraud. They alerted authorities in February.

The 48-year-old Olin turned himself in at East Valley Sheriff's Station earlier this month and was held on $20,000 bail. He pleaded not guilty and was scheduled to appear in court on Aug.21.

Locally, it wasn't the first time that a dishonest individual exploited the trust of others.

Nonprofit groups, clubs and organizations that rely on volunteers to handle their money should take steps to safeguard their funds, said Detective Russell King of the Ventura County Sheriff's Department.

"You just don't let everything go through one person," King said.

Clubs should require two signatures to issue checks, and a third person should receive bank statements to balance the transactions, he said. Board members from any organization should review income and expenses every month to ensure that the money is spent properly.

Olin had been a longtime volunteer with the soccer club, but many organizations have a high employee turnover, which demands greater oversight, King said.

Although safeguards are necessary, "there is a certain amount of trust you have to allow—especially when dealing with volunteers," said Linda Plaks, a member of the Moorpark Historical Society, another nonprofit group that was wronged by a trusted individual.

A former treasurer for the society embezzled $13,000 in 2004.

The organization, which required two signatures for every check, contends the bank didn't verify the signatures when deposits were made.

The thefts occurred over a period of about six months, yet nothing was suspected. The treasurer provided credible reports every month, said Plaks, who became aware of the problem only after the society received in the mail an urgent letter from the bank saying that the group's account had been overdrawn.

The matter was reported to authorities and an investigation was launched, but the suspect died from a heart attack before the case was concluded, Plaks said.

"He was making house payments with the society funds. He seemed to be in a financial bind," said Plaks, who added that it wasn't the first time the man had been accused of embezzlement.

Because of the incident, society board members have become more diligent about reviewing their financial records.

"We rebounded, and we learned a lot from that," Plaks said.

Earlier this year, a man who served as treasurer of the Thousand Oaks High School Football Booster Club for more than two years was arrested for the alleged embezzlement of club funds, and in 2006 a former president of the Boys & Girls Club of Conejo & Las Virgenes was investigated over allegations that he misused the organization's credit card.