Former Bend FC Timbers administrators plead no contest to charges in Deschutes County court

Published 4:24 pm Thursday, December 29, 2022

Three former administrators for Central Oregon’s largest youth soccer league were convicted of third-degree criminal mischief in Deschutes County Circuit Court on Thursday.

The three administrators are Tara Bilanski, the former executive director of the Bend FC Timbers youth soccer organization; Jen Davin, the former coach and assistant director of the league; and Emily Williams, the club’s former accountant and bookkeeper.

They pleaded no contest to the noncriminal violation involving the deletion of documents stored on the soccer organization’s Google Drive, according to court documents. By pleading no contest, they don’t admit to wrongdoing, lawyers said Thursday.

In a press release, Bilanski and Davin’s attorneys likened the violation to a traffic ticket. Thomas Spear, Bilanski’s attorney, said the deletion of the files “ostensibly caused an inconvenience to Bend FC Timbers.”

Deschutes County District Attorney John Hummel previously reduced the charges in court from a Class C misdemeanor to a Class A violation because none of those involved has a prior criminal record.

Spear said the Deschutes County District Attorney’s Office “found nothing to substantiate allegations of theft, embezzlement, or any crimes implied in various releases by Bend FC Timbers.”

The Timbers previously sued Bilanski and others for allegedly stealing and pocketing thousands of dollars in entry fees from the soccer club’s summer camps.

Amid the growing scandal, Bilanski filed a defamation lawsuit against the youth soccer organization and the president of its board of directors, seeking $5.1 million in damages. That case is still pending in Deschutes County Circuit Court, Spear said.

Bilanski said in a statement that she was grateful for the law enforcement investigation concluding that she “did not commit theft, identity theft or embezzlement.” She also said she plans to continue working in regional youth soccer.

“I am happy this is behind me,” Bilanski said in a statement. “I look forward to continuing working with kids in the community to develop youth soccer in Central Oregon. I am also thankful for the continued support I’ve received from my players, their parents, and the rest of the local soccer community.”

Davin also said in a statement that she plans to continue working in youth soccer in Deschutes County.

“As a long-time coach and advocate for youth soccer in Deschutes County, my focus remains on the soccer and the kids,” Davin said. “I am grateful to have this behind me. I am passionate about continuing to expand youth soccer in Central Oregon.”