By Sarah Bahari
A former president of a North Texas youth baseball league stole thousands of dollars from the organization to buy George Strait tickets, hotel stays and Victoria’s Secret lingerie.
Eric Fletcher pleaded guilty this month to property theft while president of the Decatur Baseball League, the Wise County Messenger reported.
From August 2016 to April 2019, Fletcher stole at least $40,000 from the youth league, the newspaper reported. About half was stolen through ATM withdrawals and half directly from the bank.
Using the organization’s debit card, the Messenger reported, Fletcher bought tickets to a George Strait concert in Las Vegas for $1,307.06; hotel rooms at a Holiday Inn in Corpus Christi for $575; a washer and dryer for $472; James Avery jewelry for $406; Victoria’s Secret lingerie for $216; and $412 for repairs and window tinting on his car, according to the newspaper. He also spent $1,393 at restaurants.
The thefts were discovered in 2019 when league officials in Decatur, which is northwest of Fort Worth, found discrepancies in their banking transaction history, the newspaper reported.
“I think it was a crime of opportunity,” Wise County District Attorney James Stainton told the Messenger. “He was the sole person who had access to it and just did it, and that’s unfortunate. When you steal from little kids, that’s not OK.”
As part of the plea agreement, Fletcher received five years of probation and will be required to repay the league $28,000. He made his first payment of $10,000 last week, the newspaper reported.
Fletcher did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment on social media.
