A former treasurer of an Orange County high school football booster club has been arrested on a federal indictment accusing her of defrauding the nonprofit of approximately $411,761. Julie Hanway Molina, 56, is charged with four counts of wire fraud. According to the US Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California, prosecutors allege she wired approximately $131,523 in June 2023 to pay the delinquent balance on her home mortgage, and sent board members false treasurer reports to conceal the payments. An indictment is merely an allegation, and Molina pleaded not guilty to all charges.
How did a California booster club treasurer allegedly divert $411,761
A federal grand jury returned the indictment on 2 September. It alleges that from 2023 to November 2025, Molina carried out a scheme to defraud the nonprofit. She diverted money from the group’s bank account for personal expenses without the organisation’s knowledge or authorisation, including her home mortgage and credit card bills. In total, the Justice Department said, she misappropriated approximately $411,761 belonging to the nonprofit.As CBS LA reported, prosecutors allege Molina took the money in her role as treasurer and that the funds were diverted from the booster club’s bank account. It gave the same total of about $411,761 and attributed its account to the Department of Justice. The US Attorney’s Office also stated that an indictment is merely an allegation and that all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
How did the California booster club treasurer allegedly conceal the $411,761 fraud
The Justice Department said that in June 2023, Molina wired approximately $131,523 from the nonprofit’s bank account in Laguna Hills to an account in Santa Ana. The transfer went through Federal Reserve facilities in New Jersey and Texas and was made to pay the delinquent balance on the mortgage on her personal residence. The figure was more than $131,000 and reported the same route and destination. Prosecutors also allege that Molina tried to conceal the payments. The US Attorney’s Office said she sent numerous emails to the nonprofit’s board members attaching false treasurer reports that did not disclose the misappropriation of funds.Molina pleaded not guilty to all charges at her initial court appearance on Thursday. A US Magistrate Judge ordered her released on a $10,000 bond and that her trial was scheduled to begin on 2 November. The US Attorney’s Office said that, if convicted, Molina would face a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison for each count.After the charges were announced, Aliso Viejo Mayor Max Duncan issued a statement to CBS LA describing the allegations as deeply disappointing. He said the city has many young families and that youth sports are an important part of its identity. He also said his sympathy was with the volunteers who give time and energy to support students. In a short passage CBS LA reproduced, he said it is “especially troubling when that trust is violated.“
