Former high school athletics booster sentenced for embezzlement

CHINO -- A man convicted of embezzling from the booster club for Ayala High School's girls basketball team was sentenced today to 16 months in state prison.

Donald Williamson, former president of the booster club, will also be required to pay about $1,100 in restitution to the club, Judge Colin Bilash said.

Despite pleading guilty in September to felony grand theft, Williamson, 49, maintains his innocence.

In an interview before his sentencing in Chino Superior Court, Williamson said he spent the money he's accused of embezzling on expenses incurred while president of the booster club last year.

He said he accepted a plea bargain from prosecutors because if he had been found guilty in a jury trial, he could have faced a prison sentence of up to 14 years.

"I just look at it as a learning experience," Williamson said. "When you deal with other people's money, you keep good receipts and everything."

Williamson had been free since he was charged in July, but at the end of his sentencing he was taken into custody.

In a past interview, Williamson said he first became involved in the booster club in fall 2008, during his daughter's freshman year at the school. His daughter played on the basketball team.

Williamson, who describes himself as a professional cook, said his contributions to the club's snack bar led to a dramatic increase in sales.

Other boosters encouraged him to seek the club's presidency, and he ran unopposed for the unpaid position, Williamson said.

Once he became president, he said he was issued a debit card that allowed him to access the club's bank account. He said the booster club never explained its reimbursement rules to him.

He said he withdrew money from the account to pay for club-related expenses such as gasoline purchases.