A volunteer who stole nearly $300,000 from a Mansfield little league team was sentenced to eight years in prison after pleading guilty to theft of property.
Jennifer Sue Witteveen, 52, of Arlington, became the treasurer for the Mansfield Youth Baseball Association when her child was playing there, prosecutors said.
She was convicted of making cash withdrawals and writing fraudulent checks for personal use between 2012 and 2018. The thefts added up to $295,000.
When confronted, the Texas woman claimed she used the money to pay for family medical bills, prosecutors said. But an analysis showed she spent about $22,000 on Amazon purchases and another $50,000 at restaurants.
“Every dollar she took could have had a real impact on children in our community,” said assistant Tarrant County District Attorney Johnny Newbern, who prosecuted her. “That’s something that cannot be repaid.”
Witteveen pleaded guilty to theft of property between $150,000 and $300,000, which is normally a 2nd-degree felony. Her charge was upgraded to 1st-degree because the victim was a nonprofit. She was also ordered to pay restitution.
