Former youth football director accused of embezzling $235K from league
Canton Township man charged with theft in alleged five-year scheme
The former director of a youth football league in the Pittsburgh area is accused of embezzling hundreds of thousands from the organization over the past several years.
William Spencer of Canton Township was arrested Friday after the state Attorney General’s office said he funneled about $235,000 from the Western Pennsylvania Youth Football League into his bank account from 2020 until he resigned from his leadership position early last year.
According to court documents, some of the league’s members became concerned last March about the organization’s finances and lack of payment to its insurance provider, prompting an emergency meeting between the executive board and many of the 44 teams in the league.
A day before that March 12 meeting at the Washington County Fairgrounds, Spencer submitted his resignation letter and also allegedly admitted to a confidant that he “f-ed up,” according to court documents.
Spencer, 57, was appointed in 2013 to lead the organization’s precursor known then as the Washington/Greene Youth Football League, and he continued in that role when it expanded and was renamed the Western Pennsylvania Youth Football League in 2021. The league has a total of 44 local organizations that supply teams from Allegheny, Beaver, Butler, Fayette, Greene and Washington counties, with three divisions for youths in grades first through sixth grade.
Beginning in 2015, the league’s treasurer was inexplicably removed from the bank account and only one signature on checks was required, which continued even after the league rebranded itself with the more regional title in 2021. Investigators traced the thefts back to early 2020 and found numerous fraudulent purchases and checks made out to Spencer while masquerading as legitimate expenses that year despite the football season being canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In total, investigators said there were 187 fraudulent checks totaling $231,939 and about $3,000 in other payments up until the time Spencer resigned from his director’s position last March when other board members became concerned about the league’s financial situation, leading to the emergency board meeting and the request of a financial audit.
Investigators said Spencer used the league’s funds for cash withdrawals, utility bills, credit card payments and purchases at various stores, websites and restaurants, while even using some of the money to bolster his retirement account.
The league raised money through ticket sales at games and various fundraising drives. But the league’s financial situation became so strained that Spencer never sent the annual payment to its insurance provider in 2024 and the organization was almost dropped by the carrier before the newly appointed interim treasurer made the payment last year, according to court documents.
“Our investigators in this case untangled a five-year web of theft that impaired this youth sports league while lining the pockets of the defendant,” Attorney General David Sunday said in a written statement. “These are very serious charges regarding criminal conduct that betrayed financial contributors to the league’s prosperity, as well as the many coaches and young athletes involved in the league.”
Following the emergency board meeting last March, the league’s new leadership team contacted the Washington County District Attorney’s office, which forwarded the case to the state Attorney General’s office.
Spencer was arraigned Friday afternoon by District Judge Michael Manfredi on felony charges of theft by unlawful taking and receiving stolen property, along with misdemeanor counts of misapplying entrusted finances, theft by unlawful taking, and receiving stolen property. He is free on $250,000 unsecured bond, according to online court records.
His attorney, Lane Turturice, did not respond to a phone message Friday afternoon seeking comment. League officials also could not be reached for comment Friday.