Former AYSO Commissioner Charged With Felony Embezzlement

LA QUINTA – A former La Quinta American Youth Soccer Organization commissioner suspected of embezzling more than $100,000 from the organization surrendered to authorities Wednesday and immediately posted bail, prosecutors said.

Sharon Schumaier, 41, was charged Tuesday with 39 counts of felony embezzlement by an official agent of an organization.

Schumaier surrendered, posted $113,000 bail and was released, said Michael Jeandron of the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office. She is scheduled to be arraigned Oct. 22.

Schumaier’s attorney, Rod Soda, could not be reached for comment.

The former commissioner, who was asked to leave AYSO in June for failing to provide financial records, is accused of writing checks from the AYSO’s bank account to her husband and their company, Desert Cities Automotive in Indio, over a two-year period, according to a declaration in support of an arrest warrant.

Investigator Brad Farwell, who prepared the declaration, alleged that Schumaier lied on her application to AYSO about two previous convictions in Los Angeles and Orange counties.

“I believe Sharon purposely hid the fact she had been convicted of money laundering, and upon being put in a position allowing access to money, she used that position to embezzle approximately $133,043,” Farwell wrote.

Schumaier pleaded guilty to grand theft of personal property and money laundering in Orange County Superior Court in January 1996. She was convicted of forgery in Los Angeles County in July 1997.

Schumaier is suspected of writing the checks to her company without approval from the AYSO, Farwell wrote. The memo section of the checks stated that they were reimbursements for expenses Schumaier had paid for out of her own personal account, Farwell wrote.

“It didn’t make sense that Sharon would have to use her own personal and business banking account to buy items for AYSO when she had checks from AYSO she could’ve used,” according to the investigator.

A co-signer on at least 11 of the fraudulent checks told investigators that the signatures were not his writing and he had no knowledge of the checks, Farwell said.