Little League Ex-Treasurer Accused of $26,326 Theft : Trial: A Laguna Hills stockbroker pleads not guilty. But evidence includes a signed confession that he used ‘trickery, lying and false representation.’

A former Little League treasurer has been arrested and charged with stealing more than $26,000 from the Mission Hills Little League.

Robert Michael Norman, 46, of Laguna Hills, a stockbroker and the father of two, pleaded not guilty Wednesday to two counts of grand theft and one count of embezzlement during his arraignment at South Orange County Municipal Court.

He has been held in Orange County Jail in lieu of $30,000 bail since his arrest last week. Officials said he could face up to six years in prison if convicted.

Court records contain a confession to Mission Hills Little League officials, bearing the signature Robert Norman, saying that he used “trickery, lying and false representation” to steal at least $26,326 from the league while he was treasurer from January, 1989, until November.

“This is really a pretty sad story,” said Julian W. Bailey, Norman’s attorney. “He took the money, and he is broken up about it. He was having severe financial difficulties, and on one occasion he took a little money, then he did it again and again, and pretty soon it got to be a pretty large sum.

“He tried to pay it back, but he was going through a divorce and some severe financial problems, and it came down to either repaying the Little League or paying his child support,” Bailey said, adding that his client does not have a drug or gambling problem.

Little League officials said they are not swayed by Norman’s plight.

“Anyone who would steal money that is dedicated to children, well, that’s unforgivable,” said Bill Beebe, the Little League district administrator who oversees the Mission Hills operation.

The Mission Hills Little League teams are made up of 825 children from southwest Mission Viejo, Aliso Viejo and Nellie Gail.

Court records show that the league has $50,000 remaining in its accounts and is not in danger of folding, but Beebe said, “The league had plans to build some more fields, and this loss will dampen that.”

The money had been earmarked for a batting machine, player jackets, fences and other equipment, he said.

A broker at the company where Norman worked, Cruttenden & Co. in Newport Beach, said he had been there just a few months.

“This is a shock to me,” said the broker, who refused to give his name. “He seemed like a nice guy.”

According to court records and sheriff’s investigator Curt Hoopes, Norman had been a volunteer groundskeeper for the league before becoming treasurer. Because of his financial background, league officials approached him to become treasurer.

“I don’t think he started out to steal the money,” Hoopes said. “We call these ‘crimes of opportunity,’ where people find out how easy it is to do once and then just keep doing it.”

According to court records, Mission Hills Little League President Cheryl Edwards began to notice money was missing from league accounts last fall. She, Beebe and the other Mission Hills league officers confronted Norman.

“He readily admitted it,” Beebe said.

Norman then signed a $35,000 promissory note, pledging to return the money to the league in payments to be made over a year, league officials said.

According to court documents, no payments were made.

Hoopes said the league brought the case to the Sheriff’s Department in November. He said Norman was not arrested until last week because the league’s accountant had not completed an audit of its financial records, which was required before charges could be filed.

“I’ve been an investigator for four years,” Hoopes said. “This is the first time I have heard of anyone stealing from a kids’ sports league.”

Times staff writer Matt Lait contributed to this story.