Soccer treasurer indicted for theft
By Jeff Gallatin
Bay Village
Published July 8, 2009

A former treasurer of the Bay Soccer Club is scheduled to be arraigned next Monday in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court on charges that he took nearly $200,000 from the civic organization.

Patrick Fahey, 42, is facing two felony counts of aggravated theft after being indicted by the Cuyahoga County Grand Jury June 30. The charges stem from a series of incidents in which authorities allege Fahey used his position to funnel money from the club into a personal business over the course of a year.

Club officials became aware there was a problem with the groups finances and went to the Bay Village Police Department March 30 with their concerns. Club officials also sent out an e-mail to other club members about the situation.

Bay police officials said that  Fahey was putting the money to use in a mail business that he was operating.

Officials said the business was apparently not related to the club. The club sponsors the annual Bay Challenge Cup tournament which brings in a wide range of  soccer teams from around the country annually. In addition, the club sponsors many teams for players at all levels and also has a travel program for advanced players. Officials said there are 1,270 city youths and more than 1,000 city families involved.

Police said the money was taken over several months.

“All told, it appears that he took about $189,000 during the course of the incidents,” said Detective Lt. Mark Spaetzel. “It was a pretty large amount of money for an organization to not be able to account for.”

Spaetzel said Fahey has paid most of the money back to the organization.

“He’s taken care of all but $3,000 of it,” Spaetzel said. “Our understanding is that he’s going to make arrangements to take care of that as well.”

Bay Village Detective Jay Elish said the department has worked steadily on the case since club officials came to them in late March.

“There’s been a lot of research and checking records,” he said. “Much of it has been getting bank records.”

Elish said Fahey was allegedly using the funds for the mail business at different times. He said the department does not anticipate anybody else being charged in the incidents.

“It appears it was just Fahey involved in it,” he said.

Fahey could not be reached for comment on the charges.

Soccer Club attorney David Campbell said previously that since the incidents the club has installed safeguards to insure that similar problems don’t happen again. Club officials said they sent out the e-mail to try and prevent concern among club members about the problems about the club being able to operate.

Campbell could not be reached for comment in time for this story.

If convicted, Fahey could receive anywhere from probation up to five years for each count, although a Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office spokesman said it’s possible the two counts could be merged.

Jim Gutierrez is handling the case for the prosecutor.