Ex-coach faces sentence in theft from player’s memorial fund
PITTSBURGH (AP) – A former Pennsylvania high school baseball coach faces sentencing for stealing more than $90,000 from a charity for terminally ill children.
Steven Wetzel pleaded guilty in September to stealing from the fund he founded in the memory of a player who made national headlines in his effort to play sports while dying of cancer.
Wetzel established the Hero Program after 18-year-old John Challis died in August 2008. Challis realized his dream when he was used as a pinch-hitter by Wetzel for one game in April 2008 at Freedom High School in Beaver County.
Wetzel’s attorney says he’s remorseful and was naive in how he handled the funds. He’ll be sentenced Friday by a federal judge in Pittsburgh.
The money earmarked for terminally ill kids was spent on utility bills, home remodeling, restaurants and Pittsburgh Pirates tickets.