An Oxford man well-known in youth baseball circles was charged with embezzling money from his team’s fund.
Gregory James Williams, 46, of Oxford, was arraigned in Rochester Hills 52-3 District Court July 10 on a charge of embezzlement over $1,000, but less than $20,000. The crime is a five-year felony.
Williams, who pleaded not guilty, was released on a $5,000 personal bond and ordered to have no contact with the baseball federation or its agents.
According to Oakland County Sheriff’s Lt. Larry Perry, commander of the Oxford substation, Williams, former manager of the 12-and-under Oxford Wildcats Federation team, allegedly used funds from the nonprofit baseball account for his own personal use.
The team Williams? managed is part of the North Oakland Baseball Federation and is one of five federation teams in Oxford.
Williams is currently president of the Oxford Recreational Baseball Association, but that entity is separate from the Federation and its teams. His alleged crime is not connected to ORBA.
According to the sheriff’s report, statements showed Williams used monies from the baseball account to pay cable, credit card, auto loan and mortgage bills.
When questioned by the sheriff’s investigator, Williams denied using the account for his personal business. According to the report, he told the officer there was a misunderstanding about how the money was used.
Later in the report, Williams then told the investigating officer he used the account for both the baseball team and his business because it was easier to have one account than multiple ones.
Perry could not release the exact amount involved because the investigation is technically still open.
‘It was not a tremendous amount of money,? the lieutenant said. ‘It wasn’t near the top end.?
The sheriff’s report indicated Williams allegedly told a parent he had taken $3,000 out for personal business.
Williams admitted to the investigating officer that he took $3,817 from the federation team account, but he intended to repay it, according to the report. Williams also told the investigator he owed $100,000 in back taxes and that the Internal Revenue Service had frozen his personal and business accounts until he paid the debt.
Williams? alleged embezzlement of the baseball funds was revealed in March when the team didn’t have enough money to travel to Cooperstown, New York to play in the 12-and-under World Series happening this month, according to a source close to the situation who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
‘We had enough money in the account last year to go. We had done enough fund-raising to go,? the source said. ‘He started saying we need more money to go. That’s when we started looking at the books and found out we had no money in our account left.?
According to the sheriff’s report, Williams had indicated that everything was set for the trip and Cooperstown was holding a spot for the team. However, when Cooperstown was contacted, it was discovered that Williams had never made arrangements for his team to play.
‘We were shocked,? the source said. ‘Greg was always really into to going to this tournament. For five years, we’ve had this team and our main goal was to go to this World Series. We were shocked that he took it from the boys.?
‘He admitted to me that he took the money,? the source said, noting Williams told him the amount was $3,700.
The source said not playing at Cooperstown was especially disappointing considering how good the team was.
‘We were ranked nationally,? the source said. ‘We were one of the best teams in the state. At one time, we were 17th in the nation. We were a good ball club.?
Williams was offered numerous opportunities to repay the money with no repercussions, but the source said, ‘He just thumbed his nose at us, said he didn’t have the money and he wasn’t going to do it.?
At one point, the source said Williams indicated he’d be willing to repay the money at a rate of $1,000 per month, but never followed through.
Had Williams simply apologized, the source indicated he could have probably avoided the current legal situation due to his past dedication to the team.
‘It’s a sad situation. He could have got out of this for nothing,? the source said. ‘He ruined a lot of friendships over this.?
Due to Williams? good reputation in the community, the source indicated there was a lot of long, hard thought that occurred before the sheriff’s department was contacted in June.
Ultimately, the source said it was decided that even though Williams had ‘done a lot of great things? for youth baseball, ‘you still can’t steal from 12 kids? and ‘ruin? their dreams.
Williams? attorney, Peter Samouris, declined to discuss any specifics of the case because he indicated it would not be appropriate to do so.
‘Whatever misunderstandings there are will hopefully be clarified,? he said.
Samouris praised his client’s longtime involvement in youth baseball.
‘My client’s dedicated a lot of his time and even his own money to this little league program,? the attorney said. ‘He’s greatly adored by a lot of the children, the boys that he’s coached (in) little league. He’s well-regarded by many members of the community.?
‘In the end, I hope everything will be resolved in a way that’s satisfactory to my client and that’s about all that I have to say,? Samouris said.
Even Lt. Perry described Williams as ‘a pillar of youth baseball.?
‘He’s known all over the state,? he said.
Williams’s preliminary examination in 52-3 District Court is set for 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 25 before Chief Judge Julie Nicholson.
When referring to the upcoming exam, Samouris made the statement, ‘If it’s gonna even happen.?
When asked to explain what he meant, the attorney replied, ‘It would be inappropriate for me to discuss any type of settlement negotiations.?