GEORGETOWN TOWNSHIP, Mich. - A former Georgetown Little League Board President and Treasurer has been arrested and charged with embezzling over $20,000 from the youth organization.
Victoria Hillard was arraigned Wednesday morning on one count of Embezzlement of between $20,000 and $50,000. The felony is punishable of up to ten years in prison and/or three times the amount embezzled.
The Georgetown Little League Board issued a statement that they are working on steps moving forward. The Board says that they established a sub-committee months ago to oversee the restitution of the funds embezzled and to work with the Ottawa County Sheriff and Ottawa County Prosecutor on the issue. They are also working to "strengthen internal controls so that all measures are taken to hopefully prevent a similar situation from happening again in the future."
The Board says they may also file a civil lawsuit to recover the stolen funds. More from the statement:
We are thankful for and appreciate the efforts of the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Department, and particularly the Detectives who diligently worked on this matter. If necessary, a civil lawsuit may be filed by the GLL seeking recovery of the funds. Finally, the GLL Board is conducting an internal review of existing safety precautions and protocols, with the goal of preventing this from ever happening again. The GLL Board takes this matter very seriously. It is certainly disappointing that GLL resources were stolen by a trusted Board member, who many of us consider a longtime friend. As stewards of GLL resources, the GLL Board takes its fiduciary duties very seriously – and these duties extend to holding people responsible for their actions. We also view this as a teachable moment for our community. There are consequences for misconduct, but there is also room for grace, mercy and forgiveness. If and when a sentence is handed down by the Judge assigned to this matter, the GLL Board looks forward to a process that it views as a step towards reconciliation.