Ex-Pop Warner Chief Arrested in Funds Theft

The former president of the La Habra Pop Warner football league was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of embezzling more than $40,000 in league funds, the second arrest of a league official in Orange County this month.

Following a six-month police investigation, Linda Lee Tripoli, 45, surrendered to La Habra police Wednesday morning and was booked on suspicion of grand theft, embezzlement, burglary, and forgery, according to La Habra Police Det. Ron Braasch. Tripoli was released after posting bail of $50,000, police said.

Tripoli, who has been active in the nonprofit organization for 15 years and was league president last year, allegedly wrote at least $40,000 in league checks to pay for hotel rooms and her home and to make cash payments to herself in 1995, Braasch said.

“It could easily have been much more than $40,000,” said Braasch, who noted the investigation only examined Tripoli’s 1995 league involvement. “A lot more.”

Earlier this month, police arrested the former president of the Saddleback Valley Pop Warner football league on suspicion of pocketing $11,000 in league funds. Debbie Krueger, 46, of Mission Viejo pleaded not guilty to the charge and is scheduled for a pretrial hearing today.

Tripoli, who moved from her Stanton home to northern California about six months ago, was unavailable for comment. Her La Habra attorneys, Mike McDonald and Jeff Kent, declined to comment on the case Wednesday.

Parents and board members of the Pop Warner league called La Habra police in February when they noticed large sums of money missing from league accounts. Police began investigating Tripoli’s bank records, Braasch said. Difficulty in obtaining her earlier financial records limited the probe to just 1995, he said.

Police found that Tripoli had cashed league checks and paid a 1% service fee at cash-checking outlets instead of conducting business at the league’s bank, Braasch said. Tripoli forged board members’ signatures to cash the checks, Braasch added.

“The league should have a lot of money,” said Braasch. “Instead they have a lot of debt and could possibly go under.”

Phone calls to board members of the La Habra Pop Warner football league were not returned Wednesday.

News of the lost funds, which almost forced the league to shut down, outraged the community, Braasch said.

“The kids are the ones that really take the hit. They almost didn’t have a season because of this,” he said. “I’ve got parents calling me constantly and they are very, very upset.”

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Also contributing to this report was Times staff writer Len Hall.