Brea man charged with embezzlement while treasurer of youth basketball league in Yorba Linda

A Brea man was sentenced to a month in jail after pleading guilty to embezzling tens of thousands of dollars while league treasurer of a youth basketball league in Yorba Linda. 

Despite initially being charged with 19 different counts of embezzlement, Julio Cesar Galvan Arauz, 42, pleaded guilty to just one count of embezzlement by fiduciary of trust. 

Arauz was able to supply receipts for most of the alleged $86,767.46 embezzled during his time as treasurer of Yorba Linda Junior Basketball Club from December 2016 to June 2018. 

He has paid nearly $36,000 in restitution to date, a large portion of what he is expected to pay back after having the amount of the disputed funds cut in half. He reportedly stopped looking for receipts for the expenditures after realizing that the restitution was going back to the league and its players. 

"He doesn't really care how much he was giving back because it all goes to the kids," said Calvin Schneider, attorney for Arauz. "He made a mistake and paid thousands of dollars in restitution and he had a fair plea deal today."

Schneider argued that Arauz since he was running the league and acting as treasurer he overwhelmed himself, and as a result didn't keep books well.