Police officials in Montgomery County are investigating after, they claim, the former vice president of the Montgomery Township Baseball and Softball Association allegedly stole thousands from the nonprofit group.
According to police officials, Christopher Pekula, 49, of North Wales, has been arrested and has been charged with theft and other offenses after, law enforcement officials believe, he was responsible for the theft of over $43,000 from the nonprofit where he served as vice president of finance.
Officials said the investigation began in April of last year, after leadership of the Montgomery Township Baseball and Softball Association contacted police with concerns about discrepancies they claimed to have found in their bookkeeping after a new individual took on responsibilities as the group's vice president of finance in October of 2023.
Pekula, officials said, was the nonprofit group's vice president of finance from 2016 through October of 2023.
Get top local stories in Philly delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC Philadelphia's News Headlines newsletter.
According to police, a review of the nonprofit's financial documents from the time Pekula served as the vice president of finance for the group found that Pekula had, allegedly, committed fraudulent activities "through cash withdrawals, false self-reimbursements and false claims made about the office’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan COVID-relief loan during his time as the organization’s vice president of finance."
In a statement on Pekula's arrest, officials said Pekula, allegedly, purchased equipment, uniforms, trainings and other expenses for the nonprofit using the company's credit card. But, officials said, he then reimbursed the charges to himself, as if he had paid with his personal credit card.
According to police, investigators also believe that, after the group secured an EIDL COVID-relief loan of over $25,000, Pekula allegedly made 17 cash withdrawals from June of 2020 through July of 2021, totaling over $57,000.
Local
Breaking news and the stories that matter to your neighborhood.
And, according to police, only two of those withdrawals were for legitimate expenses.
Through these withdrawals, officials claim, Pekula pocketed $39,800 of the nonprofit's funds.
He also charged the group for nearly $4,000 after reimbursing himself for more than the actual costs of goods he purchased or falsely reimbursed himself for purchases he made with the group's credit card, but claimed he had used a personal credit card, officials said.
Combined with the cash withdrawals, officials said the total amount the police believe Pekula took from the nonprofit was $43,700.80.
“Parents work hard to support non-profit sports organizations like this one in order to provide their children with the many learning opportunities that come from being on a team and playing sports. This group also obtained much-needed federal funding to stay afloat during Covid,” said Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele in a statement on the arrest. “The nonprofit’s ability to provide services were placed in jeopardy due to Pekula‘s actions. This is a sad reminder that financial controls are crucial for all organizations.”
Pekula was arraigned Feb. 3, 2025, before Magisterial District Judge Edward Levine, who set bail at $25,000 unsecured, officials said.
He has a preliminary hearing scheduled for Feb. 11, 2025.
Sign up for our Breaking newsletter to get the most urgent news stories in your inbox.
