CORPUS CHRISTI, Tx — The former treasurer for Little League District 23 is under investigation after it was discovered she stole up to $17,000 from the district.
District 23 is an umbrella under which several area little leagues operate, including Laguna, National, Universal, Oil Belt, Robstown and Port Aransas. Padre Little League used to be under this umbrella but left the district in part over concerns with how funds were being used.
That organization is in its first season in the Pony League and is now known as Padre Sports.
6 Investigates spoke with an official of Padre Sports who declined to be interviewed on camera, but said after the district asked to increase the fees paid by players, Padre wanted answers as to how those funds were being spent.
That official said other leagues asked for this information as well, and the district did not provide an accounting of funds.
In September 2023, Padre's board voted to part ways with the district and Little League.
6 Investigates has since obtained documents detailing the misuse of funds within the district, including an "explanation and apology" letter written by former treasurer Joan Reyes.
In that letter, Reyes admitted to taking money.
"Financial difficulties in my personal life led me to live beyond my means and I, regrettably, resorted to withdrawing money from the District 23 account to address my financial challenges," Reyes said.
Reyes goes on to request the matter be handled internally.
"I sincerely hope that the matter can be resolved internally, sparing both myself and others from unnecessary legal proceedings," she wrote.
6 Investigates reached out to Reyes, through attorney Steve Gibbins, to give her a chance to address these accusations. The response? No comment.
6 Investigates also obtained district meeting minutes from two meetings in December 2023, which included the proposed budget for fiscal year 2023-24. Included among expenses for fiscal year 2022-23 is a line item labeled "theft" with an amount of $13,840.72.
Additional documents obtained by KRIS 6 News included a letter sent to the district from the attorney representing Reyes in September 2023.
According to that letter, Reyes was willing to pay back "losses to the district up to $17,000 over a three-year agreement."
A caveat to that agreement — the district could not pursue legal action unless she failed to make payments.
Additionally, the letter states Reyes did not have any financial documentation before 2020.
6 Investigates has spoken to multiple sources who question the district's financial status dating back to 2014. Board meeting minutes also reveal the district has failed to file taxes since 2014, resulting in the loss of its non-profit status.
According to a redacted Corpus Christi Police Department incident/investigation report, missing funds were reported to CCPD on December 8, 2023.
"(Redacted" stated that he is the district manager with Little League International (baseball). He stated that they discovered missing funds from their financial account that Joan Reyes had been in charge since 2014. He stated that her position was the Secretary Treasurer," the report states.
KRIS 6 News first reached out to District Administrator John McLaughlin in March to ask about allegations of theft and he had no comment.
This week, McLaughlin also refused to comment, citing an active investigation by CCPD.
6 Investigates wanted to ask McLaughlin what safeguards have been put in place since the discovery of this theft and whether Reyes has paid back any of these stolen funds.
KRIS 6 had these same questions for the Southwest Region Little League, which oversees District 23.
There was no response from the Southwest Region, instead, KRIS 6 received this written response from Little League International.
Little League International is always saddened to learn of the allegations of any misuse of funds that are intended for use by a Little League community of families and children involved. Through its Region staff, Little League International will continue to work with and support the remaining district volunteers, along with the leagues they serve, who were affected by this difficult situation. Because this is an ongoing investigation, it would be inappropriate for Little League International to provide any further comment at this time.
Following this response from Little League International, KRIS 6 asked about the failure of District 23 to file taxes dating back to 2014 and any plan to correct this.
A spokesperson responded in writing, "As noted in our statement, because this is an ongoing investigation, it would be inappropriate for Little League International to provide any further comment at this time."
