A former Kent Little League treasurer pleaded not guilty on Monday to 14 counts of first-and second-degree theft for allegedly stealing $226,515 over a 16-month period in 2012-13 from the youth baseball and softball group.
Kevin L. Baker, 50, of Maple Valley, entered the plea in King County Superior Court at the Maleng Regional Justice Center in Kent. Baker was fingerprinted, booked and released after his plea. He remains out of custody. He is scheduled to return to court Feb. 9 for a hearing when a trial date could be set or attorneys could ask for more time to prepare the case.
Baker, who is represented by Seattle defense attorney Jeff Williams, reportedly used some of the embezzled funds in an attempt to keep his newly acquired Benchwarmer Sports Bar and Grill afloat, according to charging papers. The bar along Russell Road has since closed.
League president Greg Whitcomb discovered the financial shortfall after he tried to use a Kent Little League ATM card for a $20 purchase at Office Depot and the card was declined. He learned in December 2013 that funds appeared to be missing from league bank accounts. He reported the alleged theft to the Kent Police that same month.
Detectives investigated the case and later turned it over to the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. Baker admitted to detectives to stealing more than $200,000 from league accounts from May 2012 through September 2013, according to court documents.
Baker also told detectives he was a victim of a Nigerian Internet email-solicitation scam in which he sent tens of thousands of dollars to the United Kingdom and Nigeria on the premise that the lender would provide him with a much-needed business loan he couldn’t otherwise qualify for in the United States.
Detectives received a search warrant for bank records for all accounts where Baker was an authorized signatory, including two with the Kent Little League, his business account and his personal account.
The bank records showed Baker used league funds for personal expenses, including restaurant and bar tabs. Records also showed checks written to Baker and his business from the league accounts, including two cashier checks for as much as $20,000 each to his business account. Cash withdrawals from the league account by Baker coincided with cash deposits into his business account.
The league’s board of directors sent a letter in September to Little League parents and volunteers to notify them about the loss of funds.
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