An explosive lawsuit filed by three former employees of California high school powerhouse St. John Bosco claims head coach Jason Negro embezzled money from the school and violated rules by paying tuition to football players.
As detailed by the Los Angeles Times, the lawsuit was brought by Brian Wickstrom, (St. John Bosco's former president and CEO), Melanie Marcaurel (the school's former CFO) and Derek Barraza (the school's former chief technology officer), and it alleges that the Salesian Society, the Catholic charity that operates St. John Bosco, is aware of financial improprieties that fund the football program and illegally fired the former executives in order to cover the scheme up and keep the successful football program humming.
The plaintiffs allege that Negro essentially financed the football program through a cash safe kept in the head coach's office, which Negro and the football staff used to pay tuition for select players and fund a retreat for the coaching staff. From the LA Times:
Cash from Negro’s safe also paid for the coaching staff to take periodic “retreats” to the Palm Springs area, the lawsuit alleges. “There, the football staff engaged in profligate spending for hotels, meals, and large amounts of alcohol. Assistant coaches raved that they were able to go drinking on ‘Bosco’s dime.’ Negro, who set up these retreats, was reluctant to provide receipts or any other accounting to Marcaurel.”
When Wickstrom and Marcaurel confronted Negro about his cash system, the lawsuit alleges, and suggested hiring an accountant to manage the football program's finances, the Catholic charity that runs St. John Bosco, located in the Los Angeles suburb of Bellflower, instead hired consultants to "rid the business office of its current staff and squelch the audit that would provide any accountability for the football program."
The suit alleges that Negro embezzled money from the school, violated IRS tax code by not reporting cash payments as income, and violated California Interscholastic Federation bylaws by paying tuition for players. All three plaintiffs have since been fired, an act that the lawsuit claims violates California's Whistleblower Protection Act. From the paper:
Marcaurel, in particular, confronted Negro about the practice of collecting cash and making payments, demanding that the football program adhere to established accounting practices, but was met with “fierce resistance” from the coach, according to the lawsuit.
“St. John Bosco High School is aware of claims made against the Salesian Society and myself by former employees of St. John Bosco,” Negro said in a statement. “An independent investigation has already been conducted and all the facts will come to light in court. The claim has been in the hands of our legal team and our school will defer all questions to them.”
The Salesian Society released a statement saying it has "engaged in a period of discernment regarding how to best position SJB for future success."
A 1991 SJB graduate, Negro became Bosco's head coach in 2010. Since 2013, the Braves are 141-18 with one CIF Southern Section championship.