District Reacts to Former SMHS Coach’s $20K Embezzlement Charges

Former football coach and assistant principal Mike Mooney, who was placed on administrative leave in October 2010 and later resigned, was charged with embezzling funds, the Pasadena-Star News reported Monday, that amounted to a San Marino High School loss of $20,000, Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office spokesman Matt Krasnowski told Patch Wednesday.

Superintendent Loren Kleinrock told Patch Wednesday funds were not allegedly taken from the Titans Football Booster Club, as reported in the Star-News.

“There’s been some confusion and misunderstanding, and I don’t even know where it comes from because when you look at the charges filed, … it doesn’t mention money coming from any specific group,” Kleinrock told Patch. “But I can say there was no booster club money that was embezzled.”

School funds and Associated Student Body funds were allegedly taken, but the Boosters is not part of ASB, said Kleinrock, who was the San Marino High School principal during the period of October 2008 to October 2010 that the felony complaint alleges the grand theft took place.

Mooney is due in court Dec. 15 for arraignment.

Investigation Began in 2010

Investigation into Mooney’s actions began in the fall of 2010, when a clerical worker noticed a request for reimbursement from Mooney was “not appropriate,” and it was brought to Kleinrock’s attention, Kleinrock told Patch.

Kleinrock said he then contacted the —and Woods turned it over to the assistant superintendent for human resources, who began looking into it.

Ultimately, the findings were submitted to the , a forensics auditor was brought in to go through the school’s books, and findings were submitted to the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office.

Kleinrock and Krasnowski declined to comment on whether the alleged embezzlement involved anything beyond Mooney's submitting suspicious requests for reimbursement.

In the 35 years Kleinrock has been in the San Marino Unified School District, he said he has not known of a situation like this taking place.

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