Youth Football League Chief Given Jail Term
George Gutierrez, former head of a youth football league, was ordered Tuesday to repay more than $86,000 he stole from the league’s coffers and sentenced to seven months in jail.
Gutierrez, 52, of Rancho Santa Margarita, pleaded guilty to writing at least 79 checks from the Santa Margarita-Trabuco Canyon Pop Warner league to himself and to “cash” over the last few years. He founded and was former president of the league.
The Orange County Sheriff’s Department began investigating Gutierrez in March after his wife and other league officials began suspecting he was living off money meant to buy equipment.
Gutierrez, who was essentially running the league without oversight, used the money to pay for food, rent and personal bills, authorities said.
Deputy Public Defender MacDonald Becket Jr. asked the judge to suspend a jail sentence so Gutierrez can begin working to repay the money.
But Orange County Superior Court Judge Kazuharu Makino sentenced Gutierrez to five years of probation and seven months in jail, minus the 76 days he has served while awaiting trial.
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