Former San Marino/Temple City coach Mike Mooney pleads guilty to grand theft embezzlement on Tuesday … San Marino Tribune NOT vindicated …

Here’s the story from the Pasadena Star-News website.

Former San Marino High School football coach Mike Mooney pleaded guilty to one count of grand theft embezzlement Tuesday for stealing $20,000 from the funds from the school booster clubs, officials said.

Mooney was sentenced to one year of probation and 20 days of community service, said Sandi Gibbons, Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office spokeswoman.

Mooney had originally pleaded not guilty to the charge in December.

The theft took place during a two-year period 2008 to 2010.

Mooney’s connections to San Marino High football stretch back to the 1990s. He began his first stint as head coach in 1996, before leaving the program in 1998 to become head football coach at Temple City High School.

Mooney left Temple City in 2007 to return to San Marino, where he was given the option to both coach and work as an assistant principal, something not afforded to Mooney at Temple City High School.

brian.charles@sgvn.com

Aram’s take: If you think this vindicates the San Marino Tribune for falsely reporting in a December article that Mooney would enter a guilty plea at a December hearing, you’re very, very wrong. The SM Tribune reported that Mooney would enter a SPECIFIC PLEA at a SPECIFIC HEARING on a SPECIFIC DAY. Well, THAT HEARING and THAT DAY came and Mooney DID NOT any of the things the SM Tribune said he would. He plead not guilty, as the Star-News correctly reported. What happened between then and now was probably a lot of deal making between the prosecution and defense. Mooney CHANGED his plea. When the SM Tribune wrote its original story, it cited a source. Who other than Mooney and his attorney could be a credible source? Anyway, I guess SOME of you don’t understand how the news/journalism business works. When you report that something is going to happen on a SPECIFIC DAY and it does not happen, YOU ARE WRONG. When you report something is going to happen on a specific day and it does, you are right. What happens after that can and sometimes will change. You then report on that as well. The idea is to correctly report on things EVERY STEP OF THE WAY as accurately as possible. Another case in point: my reporting on Ellis McCarthy picking Cal. My scoop was that McCarthy would pick Cal during an announcement made during the U.S. Army All-Star Game. Did he do that? Yes. There’s video and photographic proof of him picking up and putting on a Cal hat and telling an interviewer why he chose Cal. My reporting was correct. So now that McCarthy changed his mind and is headed to UCLA, does that make my reporting wrong? NOT AT ALL. I reported what would happen that specific day and at that specific time, and that’s exactly what did happen. Get it? Good.