Ex-president of WRALL pleads not guilty in connection to missing league funds

The ex-president of the Warner Robins American Little League was in court Wednesday for a brief hearing.

Joseph Stella, of Warner Robins, entered a not guilty plea to four counts of identity fraud and three counts of theft by taking in connection to league money that went missing last summer.

His attorney, Lars Anderson, of Macon, declined to comment after the hearing in Houston County Superior Court before Judge Katherine K. Lumsden.

Stella is accused breaching his fiduciary duty by taking money from the league between July 5, 2014, and Dec. 26, 2014; January 19, 2015, and March 29, 2015; and between April 3, 2015, and May 16, 2015, according to the indictment.

He also is accused of signing credit card receipts in the names of other people on July 5, 2014, and on Feb. 9, Feb. 20 and March 8 in 2016.

The indictment did not include any dollar amounts. But in June 2016, Houston County sheriff’s Capt. Jon Holland said that Stella was accused of purchasing about $5,000 worth of household and home improvement items with a league credit card. Those items included paint, a fire pit and an outdoor tent.

Meanwhile, former Little League softball vice president Darin McDowell, of Warner Robins, was also charged in June 2016 with six counts of theft by taking fiduciary.

McDowell was accused of purchasing about $300 worth of household goods, including blinds and ant killer, with a league card, authorities said.

McDowell, who has not been indicted, was listed as the victim of three of the four identity fraud counts in the October indictment against Stella.

Jeff Grube, a Warner Robins attorney representing McDowell, previously has said he is working to have the charges against McDowell dismissed.

This story was originally published February 1, 2017 at 6:43 PM with the headline "Ex-president of WRALL pleads not guilty in connection to missing league funds."