Former youth club treasurer in Delaware County accused of stealing more than $136,000 for personal use, including Eagles season tickets
Kathleen Hammond, 54, of Springfield, was charged with felony theft and related offenses for allegedly taking funds from the Springfield Youth Club.
A Delaware County woman has been charged with stealing more than $136,000 from a nonprofit youth sports club where she served as treasurer and using the money to pay for personal expenses, including season tickets for the Eagles, the Delaware County District Attorney’s Office announced on Thursday.
Kathleen Hammond, 54, of Springfield, was charged with felony theft and related offenses for allegedly taking funds from the Springfield Youth Club from 2019 until she was fired recently by the club’s board of directors.
Hammond, who is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on March 28, could not be reached for comment, and court records did not list an attorney for her.
In an emailed statement, the board of Springfield Youth Club said the organization had been misled and “tricked ... by someone we trusted over the course of these events. Having this come to light in the public view will now allow us as a youth club be able to move forward as justice will begin to get served. Our board has worked with the county detectives to get to this point, and we are hoping for full restitution given back to the children of SYC.”
According to the police criminal complaint, after the board learned about suspicious bank transactions involving Hammond, the board’s president contacted Springfield police, who then referred the matter to the Special Investigations Division of the Delaware County District Attorney’s Office.
Board members had confronted Hammond about the suspected fraudulent transactions, she allegedly admitted to taking money but said she was paying it back, according to the criminal complaint.
Bank records showed that Hammond made $30,000 in deposits back into the club’s bank account, the complaint says.
Hammond allegedly used club funds to pay for Eagles season tickets, which were used by her husband and her children. Hammond did not personally attend those games, according to the complaint.
Hammond also allegedly used club funds to pay for Billy Joel concert tickets and a vacation in Florida, as well as numerous purchases from Amazon, grocery stores, and other retail establishments.
The board’s president said he saw pictures posted by Hammond on social media while she was on vacation coinciding with the purchase of airline tickets using club funds, and purchases from the Gaylord Palms Resort in Florida.
Club funds were allegedly used to cover food and restaurant purchases, as well as school and youth organization fees for Hammond’s children.
The board also identified suspicious transactions using the club’s Venmo and PayPal accounts.
On Feb. 21, detectives interviewed Hammond at her home and she allegedly admitted to making the purchases and that she was trying to pay the money back.