This post has been read 3114 times!
February 13, 2015: Op-Ed By Steven E. Greer
The revelation yesterday that money had been embezzled from the bank accounts of the Downtown Little leagued triggered the local press to cover the story. The blast email sent by the president, Andrew Zelter, lacked details on the dollar amount of the theft and the person(s) caught stealing. That ambiguity is driving the imaginations of many and making the story larger than it should be (or perhaps it is a much bigger story they are covering up).
Fox 5 TV news was unable to reach Mr. Zelter yesterday after many attempts. He is also not speaking to other local members of the community about the matter.
If just a few thousand dollars from petty cash were stolen, then Mr. Zelter should explain that. However, if tens of thousands were stolen by a coordinated effort of insiders forging signatures, perhaps related to crooked local officials, then the story would have a much greater importance. The refusal of Mr. Zelter to cooperate is making reasonable-minded people assume the worst, and he his damaging the brand of Downtown Little League.
______________________________________________________
Update February 13, 2015- A member of the Downtown Little League board is telling people that $75,000 is the amount that was embezzled from the Downtown Little League bank accounts, and that the Treasurer was involved. However, when it took place is unknown, and which Treasurer was involved is unknown.
The current Treasurer, Bray Kelly, according to a different source, attended the Little League meeting last night, indicating that he was not involved.
The same source from the board also claims that the Manhattan District Attorney is not going to prosecute the matter. If true, that is inexplicable given the large dollar amount of the alleged felony theft.