A former youth baseball official and umpire is accused of stealing thousands of dollars from La Pine’s South Central Little League.

Casey K. Zampelli, 44, is charged with four counts of first-degree theft and four counts of credit card fraud for unlawful use of the league’s debit card when he was league president, from September 2016 to March 31. Zampelli is accused of skimming $4,000 from donations and registration fees, according to court documents.

Financial irregularities came to light after the league added a treasurer position, said Deschutes County District Attorney John Hummel.

“They didn’t have a treasurer, so Casey Zampelli was the only person with access to their money, and he was taking it for his own personal use,” Hummel said.

Zampelli was arrested in mid-April by deputies with Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office. In the last two weeks, witnesses and the arresting deputy testified before a grand jury. An indictment containing eight felony charges against Zampelli was filed Tuesday in Deschutes County Circuit Court by Hummel’s office.

Zampelli has volunteered with other youth baseball leagues around the area, including as president of Sisters Little League.

He’s also worked as an insurance collector for St. Charles Bend, according to an article on the hospital’s website.

Local Little League officials directed all questions to a spokesman at the home office in Williamsburg, Pennsylvania, who issued only the following two-sentence statement:

“Little League International is aware of the situation regarding South Central Little League in Oregon. Casey Zampelli is no longer affiliated with the league, and Little League International is working through our Regional Staff to support our district and league volunteers. As this is currently a pending criminal investigation, it would be inappropriate to comment further.”

— Reporter: 541-383-0325, gandrews@bendbulletin.com