Share page with AddThis

Former West Medford Hillside Little League Officials Found Guilty

Stanley Komins and Stephen Komins sentenced for stealing from non-profit
POSTED ON: NOVEMBER 21, 2014 - 11:08AM

WOBURN – Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan announced today that Stanley Komins of Stoneham and Stephen Komins of Stoneham have been found guilty of embezzlement in connection with a theft which authorities estimate was between $50,000 and $100,000 from the West Medford Hillside Little League organization.

The jury in Somerville District Court found both defendants guilty of embezzlement over $250 and Stephen was also found guilty of forging a check and uttering a false check for incidents which occurred between 2007 and 2011.

Following the announcement of the jury verdict, the Honorable Paul M. Yee sentenced the defendants and ordered them to make restitution to the non-profit.

Judge Yee sentenced Stanley Komins to two years in the house of correction, one year to serve, with the balance suspended for two years.  Judge Yee ordered Stanley Komins to pay restitution of $35,000 to the West Medford Hillside Little League.

Judge Yee sentenced Stephen Komins to one year in the house of correction, six months to serve, with the balance suspended for two years, and ordered Stephen Komins to pay restitution to the West Medford Hillside Little League of $5,000.    

"The 2011-2012 Board members of the West Medford Hillside Little League organization should be commended for taking quick action on their suspicions of financial irregularities," said District Attorney Ryan.  "The Board immediately gained control of a terrible situation and their quick actions allowed the investigative process to move forward within hours.  This case underscores the importance of internal checks and balances in non-profit settings.  The defendants are going to be held accountable for their incredible breach of trust in defrauding people in the community."

For more than thirty years, Stanley Komins was either president of the Board of Directors for the West Medford Hillside Little League or he held the position as an officer on the Board.  For more than ten years, his son Stephen held the position of treasurer for the league.

In October 2011, Stanley Komins publicly announced he was stepping down from the Board due to health problems.  A new Board of Directors was elected on October 17, 2011 and on October 17 Stephen Komins was elected to a leadership position on the new board, though not a constitutional officer.   During the following two weeks, Stanley Komins refused to turn over the league's bank account, and did not provide any supporting documents for financial expenditures.

At a transition meeting on November 1, 2011, when asked about the checking account and receipts, Stanley Komins said it was his account, and told the board to open its own.  Both father and son turned hostile and left the meeting.  The Board immediately voted to expel Stephen from his leadership position. 

The following day, on November 2, 2011, the Board filed paperwork with the Secretary of State's office in order to access the nonprofit’s bank account.  Upon accessing the bank account on November 2, the Board treasurer secured the bank records, examined them, and called Board members to review them with her immediately.  The Board then contacted an accounting firm and informed the Medford Police Department about suspected embezzlement.

The evidence revealed that between April 2007 and October 2011, Stanley Komins used various methods to embezzle from the non-profit.  The records introduced into evidence revealed that Stanley Komins wrote checks from the league account and either cashed them or deposited them into his personal bank account.  Those checks totaled more than $23,000.  In addition, between May 2009 and September 2011, Stanley Komins purchased items from BJ’s Wholesale Club using checks drawn from the non-profit’s account even though some of the items purchased were not related to the operation of the league.  Items purchased included clothing, over twenty cartons of cigarettes, motor vehicle tires, detergent, razor blades, and other personal items.

The investigation further revealed that Stephen Komins cashed checks from the league account for his own personal use.  Jurors heard evidence that between December 2007 and July 2009, Stephen Komins wrote checks to himself from the nonprofit’s account, cashing a total of $2,720.  $2,500 of that amount was during the winters of 2007 and 2008 which was out-of-season for the league.  Beginning in March 2011 and until May 2011, Stephen Komins wrote eighteen checks from the league account signing his father’s name, and arranged for the checks to be cashed by a friend.  Additionally, the evidence revealed that Stephen Komins purchased personal items from BJ’s Wholesale Club with checks drawn from the league account, such as, an air conditioning unit, at least thirteen cartons of cigarettes, sneakers, toiletries, and household items.

Furthermore, the two men defrauded the league by signing for a $10,000 loan for league purposes and expenditures.  The loan was disbursed to the league’s bank account on November 15, 2007.  In the following four days, Stanley Komins wrote a total of $1,100 “to cash” from this loan.  During the following month, Stephen wrote himself a check from the loan, totaling $2,300.  The checks were cashed at a point in time when the league was out of season and after Stanley had previously reported to the board that all receipts and expenses for the 2007 season were covered.  The loan taken out by the defendants was never recorded in the league’s 2008 financial statement and was repaid in full by 2009 using league funds.

Authorities say the full scope of the loss to the league cannot be determined because Stanley and Stephen Komins handled cash proceeds from the West Medford Hillside Little League refreshment stand, which was operated by them during games.  The league bank account reflects very few cash deposits. And the investigation found cash deposits during that time to the personal bank accounts of Stanley Komins.  (Investigators say an independent audit revealed a discrepancy of $96,000 between deposits to the little league bank account and income reported on the profit/loss statements of the league for the years 2007-2011 as reported by Stanley Komins.)

The prosecutor assigned to this case is Assistant District Attorney Mary F.P. O’Neill.  The case was investigated by Assistant District Attorney Doug Nagengast and Financial Investigator Sean Ball of the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office Special Investigations Unit and Lt. Michael Goulding, lead Detective on the case for the Medford Police Department.