MOUNT DORA, Florida—For the second time in as many months a board member of a Lake County youth sports organization has been arrested for stealing funds meant to benefit the children.
Tamara Lamar Jones, 38, of Leesburg, is accused of stealing nearly $13,000 from Lake County Tigers Inc., a Mount Dora based youth softball organization, while she served as secretary, according to a probable cause affidavit.
From January 2022 through September 2022, Jones is accused of diverting $7,544 to her personal Venmo account and $5,274 to her Cash App account for a total of $12,818, the affidavit states.
The Lake County Sheriffs Office began investigating the thefts earlier this month when the Tigers’ president reported Jones has misappropriated the funds. The complainant reported Jones agreed to pay back the funds in full by Feb. 1 in a signed and notarized document but failed to pay back any of the funds. The president contacted Jones Feb. 2 to satisfy the contract and Jones reportedly said she could not pay it back.
A warrant was issued for Jones’ arrest for grand theft on Feb. 6 and she turned herself in on Valentine’s Day. She was released on $2,000 bond.
In December, the John Farley-Gleixner, 36, of Umatilla, who held the position of president of Umatilla Babe Ruth Inc., was arrested for stealing nearly $35,000 from his organization. He pleaded not guilty to the charge Monday, according to Lake County Clerk of Court online records.
