OAKLAND — Howard Solomon, a former executive director of the East Oakland Boxing club, admitted in court Wednesday to embezzling hundreds of thousands of dollars from the nonprofit, including a $50,000 check from Steph and Ayesha Curry.
Appearing in a grey suit before U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, Solomon read an admission of guilt before the court — the facts of which had been agreed to by his lawyer and federal prosecutors — then pleaded guilty to federal charges of tax evasion and mail fraud.
Solomon’s guilty plea comes barely two months after he was charged in federal court.
From 2019 to 2021, Solomon admitted he “engaged in a scheme” to embezzle from the East Oakland Boxing club when he served as executive director of the nonprofit, which seeks to help local youth. He said he spent the money on personal expenses, including vacations.
Prosecutors say they have proof Solomon embezzled more than $500,000 from the boxing club over the multi-year period.
Solomon became executive director in 2016. He was charged in late February with tax evasion and mail fraud. The charging records allege that he misappropriated more than $150,000 from the East Oakland Boxing by transferring funds from the nonprofit’s Wells Fargo account to his personal bank account.
The alleged embezzlement included a $50,000 check from the Currys, facilitated by the Ellen DeGeneres Show in 2019, according to the charging documents. He spent money on personal items bought via Amazon, a 2017 Ford Explorer, which he traded in to a dealership in 2021 and received a $24,000 credit on a brand new Cadillac Escalade, prosecutors alleged.
He was also charged with filing false tax returns to cover up the scheme. As part of his guilty plea, Solomon has agreed to pay restitution to the boxing club and back taxes to the IRS.
Judge Gonzalez-Rogers will sentence Solomon at a later date.
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