Coquitlam Little League bank accounts emptied of nearly a quarter-million dollars

A little league baseball club in Metro Vancouver says it has contacted RCMP after discovering hundreds of thousands of dollars missing from its accounts.

A statement posted by the president of Coquitlam Little League says a full investigation is underway into the disappearance of nearly $230,000 inclub funds.

Sandon Fraser says the problem surfaced when club members reported they had not received refunds when the spring 2020 baseball season was cancelled due to the pandemic.

Fraser says a police report has been filed and the board is devastated by the discovery, but can't provide further details while the investigation is underway.

Coquitlam RCMP first learned about the fraud allegations Aug.8.

"It's too early to start talking about details like the exact amount that is missing, but we have a good starting point and expect to make progress," saidCpl. Jason Tran with theEconomic Crime Unit.

"We will not be releasing the name of any suspect or suspects."

The B.C. Prosecution Service has yet to approve any charges.

Under $3,000 remains

He confirms independent accounting support is now reviewing all the accounts of the Coquitlam Little League.

The club's intermediate all-star team captured the B.C. Provincial Championship last year and its website says more than 700 families have players registered with the organization.

An email sent Friday to club members says the board of directors meeting on June 9 was presented with financials showing assets of $229,971.

Instead, he says, they now know the league's funds are currently under $3,000.00, and suppliers are also owed for unpaid invoices.

"As I hope you can understand, as a result of this serious issue, we are unable to offer refunds to our member families at this time," Fraser said.

A virtual news conference is set for Aug. 22, to discuss the matter further, he said.

"We are a close community and it is normal to speculate on who might be involved and what occurred," says Fraser, urging members to ignore rumours and wait until all the facts are available.

Coquitlam RCMP said Monday it was preparing a statement.