North Texas man charged with athletic booster club theft
LAKE WORTH - The former president of the Lake Worth Athletic Booster Club was arrested Wednesday and charged with stealing a large sum of money from the club.
In January, an audit of the club's accounts was conducted showing only $3.35 in the account. The audit also showed "suspicious withdrawals" totaling almost $13,000., prompting the auditors to call the police.
Lake Worth Police detectives conducted a two-month investigation into 41-year-old Joey Wilcoxson's handling of the booster club's finances from 2021 to 2023.
Detectives found that Wilcoxson unlawfully appropriated funds from the booster club, moving money between the club and a business he partially owned, Pearl's Saloon.
Once the money was in the business account, Wilcoxson made cash withdrawals from a local branch. As president of the booster club, Wilcoxson also refused to provide the club's treasure with financial statements.
Wilcoxson is charged with felony theft and is held on a $25,000 bond.
Lake Worth ISD said it learned about the theft from the police, adding that the booster club operates independently from the district and "the funds are not managed or overseen by Lake Worth ISD," and that Wilcoxon was a volunteer member.
"We are deeply concerned, as this impacts our community and involves organizations closely associated with supporting our school programs and students," LakeWorth ISD said in a statement. "We recognize the role that booster clubs play in supporting our students' extracurricular activities. We will work with the new Athletic Booser Club officers to take appropriate steps to resolve the current concerns, as well as ensure that processes are put in place to prevent further incidents."
The district also said it will work to make sure similar safeguards are in place for other school-related organizations.