GALT, CA (MPG) - The Liberty Ranch Hawks Booster Club is suing its former treasurer for allegedly embezzling more than $200,000 from the club’s coffers. 

The civil complaint, filed in Sacramento County Superior Court on March 20, accuses Carmela Cuadrado Baker of using club funds to make over $200,000 in personal purchases ranging from trips to Disneyland and vacation rentals to over $40,000 on Amazon items.

The lawsuit aims to recoup the funds, as well as compensatory damages incurred in the pursuit of the funds, including expert fees, accountants and other legal fees stemming from the case.  

A phone number associated with Baker responded “no comment” to a text message requesting comment on the lawsuit.

Another number associated with Baker did not respond to a request for comment, as of press time. 

Booster Club President Karrin Blevins said she didn’t know the defendant in the case until she took the helm in 2023.

“She had been on the board for a lot longer time than I had,” Blevins said. “And I had no reason not to trust her. It’s hard for me to say now, but she was simply amazing, and great. She would always volunteer; she would always step up when no one else would. She was always willing to do the extra hard stuff. She had a lot of knowledge, unfortunately, of electronics, as far as creating pathways for it to be easier to fundraise.” 

“She never struck me as someone who would have gone down this path,” she added. 

The lawsuit accuses Baker of spending $53,231 on Instacart purchases, $44,412 at Amazon, $27,466 at Walmart, $17,910 at Costco, $12,776 on PayPal, $7,731 at “College,” $4,604 at Disneyland and another almost $85,000 on other miscellaneous expenses. 

The lawsuit accuses Baker of buying, receiving, concealing, selling or withholding stolen property, concealment and breach of fiduciary duties. The lawsuit also targets Paul Baker, Carmela Baker’s husband of more than 20 years. 

It is unclear who is representing Carmela Baker in the lawsuit. 

According to the complaint, Baker began working as the booster club’s treasurer in 2019 and was given roles that included paying business-related expenses and keeping the fiscal ledgers for each of the sports programs at the high schools. 

To do so, Baker was authorized with signing authority on the club’s bank account and was issued a debit card to make payments, according to the complaint. 

Without the knowledge of the booster club board, Baker allegedly began using the debit card to pay personal expenses. According to the complaint, Baker was able to conceal the charges by forging financial ledgers. 

The purchases happened over a three-year period. The earliest purchase was made in December 2021, with the latest being March 2025, according to the complaint. 

“The amounts were small at first and gradually grew over time,” the civil complaint read.

The lawsuit accuses Baker of applying for loans through the Square platform to help replenish the funds in the account after account funds reportedly dipped around 2022. 

The loans allegedly were in Baker’s name but were repaid with a percentage of the donations received through Square and debited directly from the booster club’s account when the donations did not meet Square’s minimum repayment requirements, according to the lawsuit.  

It is unclear how much of the loans were repaid with club funds, according to the complaint, because the statements were allegedly sent directly to Baker. 

“The amount of damages incurred as a result of the loans is subject to proof,” according to the complaint. 

According to Blevins, as the club grew, the board took steps to add “additional checks and balances,” which included adding a clerk to help review finances, among other responsibilities. 

The club’s clerk noticed inconsistencies with the ledgers during an audit of the accounts, and after Baker allegedly did not respond to calls to clarify the situation, the clerk reached out to the bank for statements. 

Then, they noticed only $5,000 left in the account. The account should have had over $120,000, according to the lawsuit. 

“There were clear signs that something was wrong and that is when the executive board took immediate action to investigate what was going on exactly,” Blevins said. “My first thought was not that someone would be stealing from the kids.”

Blevins said throughout the period where funds were being siphoned from the accounts, coaches and the club were able to function normally. 

“The main issue is that the boosters board, and the boosters’ 17 different teams, over 300 athletics, over 17 head coaches, we have all been functioning and had no insight that funds were missing,” Blevins said. “All of our bills were being paid.” 

“Obviously we are discovering more information as we are moving forward with this process of things that were not done correctly,” she added.  

Baker admitted on March 10 to paying personal expenses from the club’s accounts but refused to confirm the amounts taken, according to the lawsuit. 

After determining the alleged origins of the missing funds, the club contacted both the Galt Joint Union High School District and the Galt Police Department. 

Blevins said the Department has notified her of an investigation that is currently taking place. It is unclear if Baker has been charged with a crime. The Galt Police Department could not be reached for comment by press time.

Shortly after the alleged embezzlement was revealed, two meetings were held to provide updates and facts to the coaches and leaders of the Liberty Ranch athletic community. 

Galt Joint Union High School Superintendent Anna Trunnell said the district and Liberty Ranch High School are working alongside the booster club to ensure that athletic program needs are addressed. 

Trunnell said there are items that the district cannot cover due to gift of public funds rules but is looking into how it can support the programs. 

“We are not planning on eliminating any of the Spring sports or any of the activities right now,” Trunnell said. “We want kids to continue to benefit from our programs. We are looking at immediate needs right now. We are in the throes of that right now.”

Vince Bunac, head coach of the Liberty Ranch softball team, said he’s focused on getting past the damage caused by the alleged embezzlement. 

“My goal right now is for our school to all get together and get the boosters wherever they were,” Bunac said. “Some of these kids have scholarships that they are going to miss out on. I think as a group of all of us coaches, I think our priority should be to get this thing running the way it was and move forward.” 

Blevins said a variety of businesses and community organizations have reached out to help support the student athletes. 

“Something of this magnitude could have turned people against each other; could have resulted in anger,” Blevins said. “In the meeting where we released this information, there wasn’t but a second before everyone said, OK, we are pulling together, we are circling the wagons, and we are going to fix this. We are going to get back to work and make sure our kids know what a true community is.”

Blevins said fundraisers are being organized to help support the athletes. 

Trunnell said the district will continue to review its policies and procedures for “school-connected organizations” to prevent future incidents, including reiterating an “annual report” that is part of the district’s policy for school affiliated organizations. 

“We do not directly govern the booster club or some of these other school-based organizations, but we are a partner, and we have do have a responsibility to make sure our students are cared for, and I know that the booster club is working hard to demonstrate that commitment.”  

According to online court records, a hearing on a writ of attachment is scheduled for June.