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ORANGE COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY
PRESS RELEASE
TONY RACKAUCKAS, District Attorney
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Case #16NF0293
Date: February 5, 2016
FORMER TREASURER FOR YOUTH SOCCER CLUB ORGANIZATION CONVICTED OF EMBEZZLING AND LAUNDERING OVER $174,000
FULLERTON, Calif. – A former treasurer for a youth soccer club organization was convicted and sentenced today for embezzling and laundering over $174,000 from the organization. Laura Alicia Zellerbach, 41, Long Beach, pleaded guilty today to one felony count of embezzlement by fiduciary of trust, one felony count of falsifying records, one felony count of money laundering, and one felony count of computer access and fraud, with a sentencing enhancement for property damage or loss over $65,000. She was sentenced today to five years formal probation, one year in jail, and ordered to pay $227,000 in restitution. The defendant has returned $106,000 in restitution prior to her sentencing today.
Between April 2013 and January 2015, Zellerbach served as treasurer for the Fullerton Rangers Youth Soccer Club (FRYSC). She had access to all of the individual team accounts and club organization accounts. At the time of the crime, she handled the finances for a business she and her husband owned, Zellcorp Inc. dba Restaurant Packaging Group.
Zellerbach embezzled over $174,000 from FRYSC by transferring money from the various team accounts into her own personal account, withdrawing FRYSC’s money at a bank or ATM, and through debit card transactions.
She laundered the embezzled money by transferring the funds into her personal accounts and using the money as capital loans from her personal account to fund Zellcorp Inc. She withdrew over $20,000 for a cashier’s check to partially pay for a European vacation for her children. Zellerbach resigned as treasurer after FRYSC board members began questioning her about the organization’s finances.
The Fullerton Police Department investigated this case and arrested Zellerbach on Feb. 3, 2016.
Deputy District Attorney Chuck Lawhorn of the Major Fraud Unit/White Collar Crime Team prosecuted this case.
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