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PITTSTON — An Exeter couple turned themselves in to authorities Thursday on allegations they took more than $44,000 from a youth soccer club.
Kathryn Koch, 36, was the president of the Greater Pittston Stoners Soccer Organization, while Edward Koch, 35, was the treasurer.
The pair was arraigned Thursday in District Justice Alexander Kokura-Kravitz’s office on theft charges.
Edward Koch is charged with taking $41,219 from the soccer organization from November 2013 through December 2014. His wife is charged with taking $3,653.
Both also were charged with forgery and the solicitation of funds for charitable purposes. The pair were released on $25,000 unsecured bail.
A preliminary hearing is tentatively set for 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, March 11.
Luzerne District Attorney Stefanie Salavantis released the following statement:
“There are parents who sacrifice a lot so their children could get involved in sports. They place their trust in these volunteers, and it is appalling that certain volunteers take advantage of their position in these organizations for their own personal gain. Their lack of good judgment reflects negatively on all other organizations that work very hard every day to do good for their communities and the children.”
Salavantis also thanked the Pittston police for their work on the investigation.
Forgery alleged
The affidavit states that the DA’s office was notified of funds missing from the Stoners in November 2013. The DA’s office also was notified of a forged signature on Stoners’ checks. Then-vice president Karen Yockey sent an email to members of the league, saying she believed Kathryn Koch was misappropriating funds from the organization.
Investigators interviewed then-treasurer McKitish and showed her three checks, none of which contained her actual signature. McKitish began to question the way Kathryn Koch was running things in the organization and McKitish resigned in October 2013.
Upon McKitish’s resignation, all treasurer’s materials were turned over to Kathryn Koch. Ed Koch was then appointed treasurer of the organization.
In March 2014, the organization closed its Landmark Bank account due to insufficient funds. On that account, two signatures were required — Courtney McKitish and Karen Yockey.
Kathryn Koch then opened an account with Luzerne Bank. The only two people authorized to sign checks were Ed and Kathryn Koch, who also used that bank for their personal accounts. At that point, Kathryn and Ed Koch were allowed to write checks.
Investigators showed Kathryn Koch several checks made payable to cash and to Kathryn Koch for items listed in the memo field such as apparel, equipment, goal nets and medals. Kathryn Koch stated none of those were purchased.
Non-soccer receipts
Four more receipts were presented to Kathryn Koch, all of which were non-soccer related items.
In December 2014, Ed Koch spoke with investigators and admitted to buying personal items on the Stoners’ account. He told investigators he needed the money because he suffered a knee injury and was out of work and fell behind on his personal bills, which included child support and a vacation to Delaware. He also admitted to forging the name of McKitish on checks on at least three occasions.
Moving forward
Since the alleged misconduct, the Stoners organization has have completely revamped its officer positions. William Wolfe, the new president, said plans are in place to combat this from happening again.
Relatives will not be able to sign checks with each other. A check must be signed by two officers of no relation.
“Moving forward, our goal is to make sure that everything we do is revolved around the kids,” he said. “We’re making sure the organization puts the procedures in place that this can never happen again.”
Since 1982, the Stoners have been a staple for youth soccer in Greater Pittston. The club is for children ages 5 through 18. About 700 players participated in the fall 2014 season. For this year’s spring season, the group has doubled its registration from last year.
Originally, the Stoners organization was named for the Keystone State after a professional soccer club, the Pennsylvania Keystoners, which was founded in 2007.
“Stoners soccer is in a great place,” Wolfe said. “We have such a solid team in place with the new officers. Our coaches have been nothing but helpful. With the change of command, we have people coming back into the organization that left during the previous tenures.”
McKitish returned as the team’s treasurer, while Michael Burke is the team’s secretary. Eric McKitish serves as registrar and Katlyn Mallow is the referee and fundraising coordinator.
The Stoners will host multiple fundraising efforts over the next several months and spring practice starts on April 1.