Woman receives probation for embezzling nearly $62,000
TORRINGTON (WNE) — A 37-year-old woman who embezzled nearly $62,000 from the Torrington Little League was sentenced Tuesday to three years of supervised probation after pleading guilty to felony theft.
Megan Leanne Jonas will avoid prison time despite stealing funds over a 2 ½-year period while serving as the organization’s treasurer.
Judge Edward Buchanan suspended a three-to-five-year prison sentence in favor of probation, citing her self-reporting of the crime and full restitution payment.
Defense attorney Cole Sherrard argued the case was unusual because Jonas voluntarily reported the theft to law enforcement before anyone discovered the missing funds. Her family paid back the full amount of $61,975 to the Little League.
“This was completely self-reported,” Sherrard said. “She reported this voluntarily. She came in and she reported this to law enforcement before anybody knew what was going on.”
However, Buchanan expressed skepticism about the circumstances of Jonas’s confession, noting she came forward only when the account was nearly depleted.
“I feel that you reported this when you realized that there was no way out of it,” the judge said. “You were getting to a point where they would be unable to pay bills when the next season or a large expenditure came around.”
In a statement to the court, Jonas acknowledged her actions were wrong and accepted responsibility.
Prosecutor Eric Boyer argued for a prison sentence, emphasizing the deliberate nature of the crime and its impact on the community organization.
“This is a serious, deliberate betrayal of trust that harmed the entire Torrington community,” Boyer said. “These were children’s funds, community donations meant to support youth baseball.”
Little League board members gave victim impact statements describing the devastating effect on their organization.
Under the terms of her probation, Jonas must continue mental health and substance abuse treatment and cannot work in any position handling money without her probation agent’s consent.
Jonas has no prior criminal history. She currently works as an assistant supervisor at Swire Coca-Cola in Scottsbluff, Nebraska and has three children.
This story was published on Dec. 5, 2025.