SHAKOPEE, Minn. — Scott County prosecutors have charged a 49-year-old Shakopee woman with stealing approximately $160,000 from the youth sports association she was supposed to financially manage.
A criminal complaint spells out the allegations against 50-year-old Amy Lynn Block, former treasurer of the Shakopee Softball Association (SSA) now charged with theft by swindle in connection with the missing funds.
Shakopee police say they were first made aware of the case in November of 2020 when called by the current vice president of SSA, who had recently determined the association appeared substantially short of funds. He told police he had obtained two years worth of records and determined that SSA's treasurer, identified as Amy Block, had made financial transactions unrelated to softball.
The SSA vice president, identified in the criminal complaint as RRW, told investigators that:
- Block had been working for SSA and had access to funds since 2013
- In June of 2019 SSA hosted a tournament that should have made $30,000. Instead, Block allegedly said concessions were "flat" and no profit was made.
- In August or September of 2019 a board member requested access to the SSA bank account for review. Block was reportedly upset, accusing the board of not trusting her.
- After the request Block allegedly opened a new account, and closed the old one.
RRW informed Shakopee police that he discovered approximately $160,000 missing from the account dating back to 2014, and transactions that included checks written to pay coaches when their service is volunteer only, and ATM withdrawals from multiple ATMs. RRW said there is no legitimate reason association funds should be accessed via ATM.
The complaint says investigators obtained bank records, and found credit cards that only Block had access to had been used to make mortgage payments, car payments, fund Amazon purchases and make more than 100 payments on her personal credit cards. Prosecutors say transactions for airline tickets, lodging and cash were also uncovered.
When questioned, investigators say Block first told them many of the transactions were mistakes linked to her personal accounts, and that she had paid the association back. When pressed, she allegedly said her husband had lost his job in 2016, and that she then began using SSA funds for personal payments.
Investigators also say Block told them a former SSA official knew about the unauthorized transactions, and that person told her to pay back the money. The former official denies knowing anything about Block's alleged theft.
Last week the association sent a letter to the families of players informing them of the situation. "The Shakopee Girls Softball Association is deeply saddened by this news. As a non-profit organization, our volunteers are the lifeblood of our organization," read the letter. "We rely on them to do the right things and conduct themselves with the highest standards. As this is a sensitive matter, we will have no further comment until the proceedings are concluded."
