The former president of the Linden Youth Soccer Association was ordered this month to report to jail to serve an 8-month sentence.
Emilie Burton, who served as the president of the soccer association in November 2023, is set to report to jail on Aug. 3 to begin serving her sentence.
In November 2024, Burton was arraigned on charges of grand theft from the soccer association totaling $33,089.62, embezzlement and three counts of money laundering, all allegedly committed in 2024.
Burton’s sentence would be reduced to four months if she pays the remaining restitution balance of $21,000, the San Joaquin County District Attorney’s Office said.
At her April 27 restitution review hearing, she was allowed to remain out of custody on probation, according to a court minute order.
Burton’s next hearing will be on Sept. 17, and she is ordered to appear in person for the hearing.
At a January court hearing, Burton’s defense attorney Tim Tuitavuki said he believed a resolution had been reached in the case. One of the terms of the resolution is full restitution, which Tuitavuki said he anticipated they’d have before the next hearing.
The embezzlement had been reported in 2024 when now president of the soccer association, Darian Codog, reported the findings to the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office.
According to a search warrant return document, members of the soccer association board noticed “several discrepancies” between what was charged to the club and invoices provided by Burton.
For instance, Burton had been in charge of jersey orders for the entire league.
Law enforcement said Burton submitted a fake invoice for 401 jerseys totaling $14,480.54. The invoice was labeled from Direct Apparel Source Inc. at 5300 Bangs Ave. in Modesto, according to the search warrant return.
However, the address did not exist, according to deputies.
According to the board, when Burton was confronted at a meeting, she denied personally making the jerseys.
Other irregularities included missing sponsor funds and league funds being used at Walmart, Lake Camanche, Amazon and Jiffy.com, none of which connected to legitimate league expenses.
The purchases were all linked to the debit card issued to Burton.
She was removed from the board following a vote, and the findings were reported to the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office.
Record reporter Victoria Franco covers public safety in Stockton and San Joaquin County. She can be reached at vfranco@gannett.com. Support local news, subscribe to The Stockton Record at https://www.recordnet.com/subscribenow.
This article originally appeared on The Record: Former president of Linden Youth Soccer Association to serve jail time
Reporting by Victoria Franco, The Stockton Record / The Record
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