Former Treasurer’s $124K Theft Shakes Kelowna Lacrosse, Impacting Youth Sports Funding

An unexpected storm has been brewing behind the curtains of the Kelowna Minor Lacrosse. A trusted treasurer, who until now had been the pillar of financial responsibility, has allegedly siphoned $ 124,000 from the Kelowna Minor Lacrosse Association (KMLA).

59-year-old John Scott Adams,  trusted with safeguarding the financial backbone of the organization, has committed a clandestine theft.

Inside the scandal of a treasurer’s $124K theft from Kelowna lacrosse

John Scott Adams received a conditional sentence for 18 months after he pleaded guilty to of theft of over 5000 dollars, in this particular instance. He has to complete 50 hours of community service during the tenure of his sentence. Adams has been allowed to serve half of his sentence in house arrest. After the end of his sentence, he will be on probation for the next year.

According to reports, the current President of the KMLA, Joel Medland has stated that Adams has pulled over 30 separate withdrawals from the organization. Over the span of two years starting from October 2014 to November 2016, he orchestrated a series of covert withdrawals totaling $124,000.

The scandal only surfaced when BC Gaming initiated an audit in 2018,  unraveling irregularities. The bank then flagged questionable and dubious transactions from the organization. This led to the unfolding of investigations which forced Adams to come out with complete disclosure. The KMLA board was made aware of all the past happenings and his Chartered Professional Accountant license was nullified.

Treasurer’s theft alters the playing field for the KMLA

Adams tried to compensate for the theft committed by him by selling his house to return the $125k. But Medland, the current President of KMLA, informed KelownaNow that the negative impact caused by Adams’s actions is still not completely resolved. The total amount that Adams has stolen is worth the expense of the organization for a year and that can only be brought back by fundraising or raising fees.

Read More: “They Should Be Granted an Exception” – POTUS Joe Biden Supports Native Americans’ Bid to Represent Their Lacrosse Team in 2028 Olympics Amid IOC Resistance

With the onset of the pandemic in 2020 and the negative publicity that KMLA had to deal with after the theft committed by Adams, they also lost several sponsors. As they received the amount they were ineligible to apply for grants. “All in all, yes we got the money back, but the longer-term loss is still hitting us to date. At the end of the day, it’s at the expense of the kids”, stated Medland.

Adams’ actions have cast a shadow over the future of youth lacrosse in Kelowna. What are your views on this incident?

Watch This Story: Most Decorated Olympic Athlete Who Broke Usain Bolt’s Record Goes Down Memory Lane of Her Glorious Career