Former Alameda Gators president Sarah Lynn New was arrested earlier this month for allegedly embezzling more than $50,000 since last September, when she began managing the Northern California swim club.
According to team parents, New’s theft has sent the Alameda Gators into a financial spiral that has forced them to raise dues by 20%, ask their swimmers to fundraise, and fire longtime coach Bret Garvine.
New had a team debit card with a PIN number for the club’s Chase checking account, which she allegedly stole from at hundreds or thousands of dollars per withdrawal. Management only realized what was going on after she stopped paying team dues for her child.
“It was heartbreaking,” said Garvine, who has coached the Gators for 20 years. “It was not what I expected, not what should happen. It’s terrible for the community, for the swimmers, for the legacy that we’ve worked hard to build.
“It’s absolutely essential that charges be pressed to the fullest extent of the law,” he added. “This kind of tragedy cannot be swept away with a plea deal or anything like that. We need to send a message to youth sports all over the place that this is completely intolerable.”
As of Friday, Alameda County district attorney Pamela Price still has yet to make a decision on the three felony counts of embezzlement facing New. She was released from Santa Rita Jail earlier this month on $30,000 bail.
Well, that might be a club that can’t afford the $75 increase in USA Swimming dues.
And she didn’t think she’d be caught?