Metro Detroit parents say they paid thousands to cheer coach but did not get what they paid for
Several cheer moms in Farmington Hills, Michigan, believe they have been scammed by their competitive cheer coach. They say they have invested thousands of dollars into the program, but didn't get what they signed up for.
"We were all rooting for her, we really liked her," said cheer mom Jillian Hukill.
Parents like Hukill were just looking for a friendly hobby for their daughters. And when they came across Diamond Cheer All Star Team LLC, a cheer team run by a woman they knew through their school district, it seemed like a perfect fit.
"Thought she kind of meant business," said Hukill.
From the jump, Hukill says the coach seemed legit. So, she and other moms signed up for the team and the many bills that followed.
"The uniforms and some of the competition fees had to be paid by cash or Zelle, the monthly tuition we paid through her online portal," said cheer mom Jaclyn Gerich.
CBS News Detroit spoke to seven parents with kids on the team, and three were able to speak on camera. They told CBS News Detroit that they paid up to $800 to be on the team. They also had to pay up to $80 a month as a practice fee and an additional $200 for a stunt camp.
But that's not all. Hukill said online fundraisers picked up more than $3,100. So, with 26 cheerleaders on the team, the parents say the coach received thousands of dollars from them.
And when these parents were done paying, they noticed things weren't adding up, starting with when they went to their first cheer competition
"We literally had nothing, we had nothing. She, like the night before, she went to Old Navy or something," said Hukill.
The uniforms they received didn't look like the ones they say were shown at all. Instead of a rhinestoned costume, they competed in a t-shirt and an athletic skirt.
"I feel like that the girls on the team were insecure about their appearance. Here they are competing in front of hundreds of people, and they are not up to standard," said cheer coach Jinelle Threatt.
Threatt says her daughter was on a cheer team at East Middle School, which was run by the coach before she started this all-star team. She says it was when she started questioning the coach about the uniforms that she and her daughter were kicked off the team.
"I think she was embarrassed. I kind of let her stay at home for a few days, just take some mental health days," said Threatt.
But the parents say it continued to go down from there. Of the six competitions parents paid for, they say they only attended one. With the coach canceling days before or on the day of the competition.
And the stunt camp that parents were told would be held by a certain company was run by someone else.
So, what happened to the thousands of dollars these families say they paid to the coach?
The cheer competition, which did not want to be named, told CBS News Detroit over the phone that it never received any money from Diamond Cheer All Stars LLC. The company that was supposed to run the camp said the coach called them, but never followed through.
Although they were practicing at a Farmington Hills church three times a week, an employee who handles rentals told CBS News Detroit that the coach still owes them approximately $1,700 for the space.
The company that was supposed to handle the uniforms could not be reached to verify if the uniforms were ever ordered.
Parents say the coach did attempt to refund some parents $200. But the email from the coach claims that if they accept the refund, parents cannot disclose "any matters related to Diamond Cheer All-Stars, its operations and internal affairs shall remain strictly Confidential," and that they must not disclose anything in conversation or online.
To get the coach's side of the story, CBS News Detroit tried calling her, reaching out to her on social media, knocking on her door and writing her a letter. She did respond via email, but never got back to discuss where the funds ever went after we tried to reach her three times via email.
CBS News Detroit is not naming her because she has not been charged with a crime.
As for investigators, the Farmington Hills Police Department confirmed that since the information we found in this investigative piece was presented, two investigators have recently been assigned to this case.
Even if these families don't get their money back, they say they want to warn other families. They say the coach has started a new team under a new name, Phoenix Cheer All Stars LLC, which, according to the Michigan Business Registry, started in May 2026.
Within 24 hours of airing this story,y the owner of a separate cheer team with the same name reached out to CBS News Detroit. She says she sent a cease-and-desist to the coach.
Michelle Desco, owner of Diamond Cheer All Stars LLC out of Davisburg, Michigan, released the following statement:
Diamond All Star Cheer LLC, operating as Diamond Athletics - Cheer & Tumble, has no affiliation, connection, or relationship of any kind with the gym currently under investigation — the business formerly known as "Diamond Cheer AllStar," now operating as "Phoenix." We are completely separate entities.
When we became aware of the near-identical name being used in our region, we took immediate action and issued a cease-and-desist. That gym subsequently rebranded to "Phoenix." Our concern at that time — that families would be misled — has proven warranted.
Diamond Athletics - Cheer & Tumble has spent years building a reputation on integrity, safety, and results, including multiple National and Junior Olympic championship titles. We want the community to know without question: we are an established gym and any family harmed by the gym under investigation deserves full accountability.
