The former vice president of a Rockaway New Jersey soccer club managed to stay out of prison after pleading guilty to the theft of more than $17,000 in funds from the soccer organization.

According to the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office, the suspect committed the theft by deception over a four-year period, from April 2011 to July 2015. When he committed the theft, the suspect was the vice president of the Rockaway Boro Rowdies Soccer Club, an organization that gives local children a chance to play soccer. The suspect was also a member of the Rockaway Parks and Recreation Committee.

The Rockaway Borough Police Department started to investigate the suspect after someone associated with the soccer club said that there had been a number of unauthorized withdrawals from the club’s bank account.

Rockaway police officers looked into the allegations and learned that the suspect withdrew the funds and then used the money for his own personal expenses.

Rockaway NJ police handed over the investigation to the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office, which later brought criminal charges against the suspect for theft by deception.

The suspect later reached a deal with prosecutors that allowed him to avoid incarceration. The suspect was granted admission into the Pre-Trial Intervention (PTI) program. This is a diversionary program that allows first-time, non-violent offenders to complete a probationary period instead of being sentenced to prison.

The suspect’s deal with prosecutors will require him to pay restitution to the soccer club in the amount of the stolen funds: $17,185.26. The suspect has already made a payment of $6,500 and will continue to make monthly payments of $305.

For more information about this case, see the NJ.com article, “Rockaway Soccer Club Official Who Took $17K from Club Gets Probation.”