Authorities in Pinellas County have arrested a man accused of stealing from a youth football organization.

  • Leonard Anderson, 61, charged with grand theft
  • Detectives say money was stolen from Dec. 2016 to May 2017
  • Anderson placed in Pinellas County Jail

Leonard Anderson, 61, of Palm Harbor, is charged with one count of grand theft, the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office said Friday.

Detectives started investigating the case in May after the Suncoast Youth Football Conference reported it had noted discrepancies during a financial audit.

Anderson is the former president of the organization, authorities said.

According to detectives, the thefts occurred between December 2016 and May 2017 and resulted in more than $29,000 being stolen from the organization.

In a news release, the Sheriff's Office said Anderson used the money for his own personal gain, including the purchase of a mobile home.

Current president reacts

Ron Wimbush, the current Suncoast Youth Football Conference president, said he was devastated when he learned of Anderson's arrest for the theft.

"It's the payments that we would make for our insurance," Wimbush said, referring to the funds that were stolen. "It's the payments that we would make for our footballs. It's the payments that we make for the trophies at the end of the season."

Wimbush said he found out after the fact that Anderson had fallen upon hard times and may have felt he had nowhere else to turn. That would not have been the case, Wimbush told us, if Anderson had turned to him for help.

"We had the meeting afterwards, and I think all the presidents that were there said, 'I wish he would've said something,' that way we could have jumped in," Wimbush said.

A warrant was issued for Anderson's arrest Wednesday, and he was taken into custody Thursday.

He was placed in the Pinellas County Jail.