Minimizing Sport Fraud (Excerpt in part from Safe at First, Second Edition available from: https://pubs.hackneypublications.com/SRLA/subscribe.html)
According to the Center for Fraud Prevention, there have been hundreds of arrests and convictions in 43 states involving 15 sports over the studied years. That research came out around 2013. Although shocking, these numbers are much lower than the actual number of cases as the majority of youth financial fraud cases go unreported (http://thefraudcenter.org/home.html).
Back in 2018 a Rockland County, New York district attorney told the media that 57-year-old Joyce Bidnick of New City pleaded guilty to embezzling over $400,000. The attorney said, “Bidnick regularly made out New City Little League checks to herself or to cash” and that “she covered up the thefts by falsifying account balances.”
An August 2025 Sports Illustrated story focused on former Moore (Okla.) High School athletic facilitator Courtney Raegan Walker who is facing six felony charges of embezzlement, according to court documents filed by the Cleveland County District Attorney’s office. The charges stem from the alleged misappropriation of funds from school athletic programs (basketball, volleyball, and football tournaments). Walker reportedly spent the more than $60,000 she embezzled on personal gambling activity. https://www.si.com/high-school/oklahoma/court-documents-allege-oklahoma-school-s-former-athletic-facilitator-stole-61k-spent-it-on-gambling-01k2w11kjcwx,
When examining sport risk management almost every text examines preventing physical injuries. One thing often overlooked are financial harms. Money is the lifeblood of any sport related program. Without funds it would be impossible to purchase equipment, rent fields, pay officials, purchase insurance, and numerous other expenses that might arise. A financial risk management plan is critical to minimize the potential for eliminating or mitigating potential financial harm. Elements from such a plan can include the following:
1) Monitor funds coming in, being deposited, and being spent
2) Do the math- errors in basic math can kill a program
3) Protect yourself through appropriate contracts and insurance
4) Educate key stakeholders on financial risk management
5) Utilize a bookkeeping system/service as an extra set of eyes
6) Trust, but verify… and that is best accomplished through transparency
The following are the top ten strategies for addressing possible financial crimes or mismanagement in youth sport organization:
1) Develop a realistic budget and stick with it.
2) Do the math and double check your work.
3) Protect your organization as much as possible through contracts and insurance policies.
4) Educate everyone in the organizational hierarchy about best financial practices.
5) Constantly track the numbers.
6) Verify what people say and do is correct.
7) Develop a transparency mindset throughout the organization.
8) Engage authorities within the organization to create a culture of oversight.
9) Require everyone to have redundancy in jobs and don’t allow one person to create an environment where they are invincible and not monitored.
10) Implement checks and balances and that can be enhanced with online record keeping.
