Reshae Marie Cuevas was charged with 16 counts in connection with a handful of unauthorized transactions and money transfers between January 2025 and January 2026, according to a criminal complaint. The allegations include eight counts of grand theft by an employee and another eight for fraudulent appropriation.
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Cuevas appeared in San Diego Superior Court Wednesday to face a group of the Imperial Beach Little League’s directors and its president, who sat in the courtroom gallery wearing shirts with “#IBLLSTRONG” emblazoned on them.
The former Little League treasurer, who is out on bond, was ordered by Judge Laura Duffy to stay away from the league, its directors and events while the case was ongoing.
Following the hearing, Deputy District Attorney Huy Betz said Cuevas made more than $30,000 in purchases using a league debit card and transferred an additional $60,000 from the checking account to her personal Apple Pay.
Among the unauthorized purchases allegedly made were transactions on online gaming/gambling apps, gift card purchases and a driver’s license renewal fee at the DMV in San Ysidro, according to a declaration in support of an arrest warrant.
“Ms. Cuevas victimized our community,” Betz said following the hearing. “Essentially, she stole money from the Imperial Beach Little League, from children who wanted to play baseball.”
“The organization had to grapple with whether or not they were going to continue with the season, or if they were going to shut it down,” Betz added.
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On Aug. 11, an arrest warrant was issued for Cuevas, and a day later she was located and arrested by San Diego County sheriff’s deputies.
Imperial Beach Little League President Zachary Garland said he discovered the alleged fraud earlier this year. The stolen cash would’ve impacted the season if several sponsors and donors hadn’t stepped in to assist the league financially.
“Our main goal for the season was to make sure that the kids got a fun season and they didn’t feel the impact or miss anything because of this,” Garland said.
According to Garland, 333 kids played spring ball this year, and 220 have already signed up for the upcoming fall season. The league president told ABC 10News on Monday that the league typically spends between $60,000 and $70,000 to operate a spring season, costs that go toward field maintenance, equipment, uniforms, vendors and more.
“It’s a lot of money to run a Little League; there’s a lot of stuff for it,” Garland said. “Being in (the courtroom) and seeing her brings a lot of emotions back up. That’s difficult, and obviously we have a long road ahead of us, but we’re just looking forward to doing what it takes to get a final answer.”
Cuevas faces a maximum sentence of seven years and eight months behind bars if convicted as charged.
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City News Service contributed to this report.
