On January 19, 2025, the Stafford Free Press received an anonymous email from a throwaway email account alleging that a member of Stafford Little League’s (SLL) board and President of Stafford Youth Football, Jon Martorelli, had written checks from SLL’s account for personal and business use.
The tip didn’t stay quiet for long as the news went wide on Facebook while we took the time to dig deeper into the issue. SLL made a public statement on January 24, 2025, saying they are “pleased to report no malicious intent was found and all funds have been accounted for.”
According to photocopies of checks provided to Stafford Free Press via email, on November 21, 2024, check 5032 from the Stafford Little League’s Stafford Savings Bank account was written for $2,347 to Suffield Academy. Additionally, on September 27, 2024, check 5029 was written for $5,749.25 to RWM Mechanical. The memo line notes that the check was for radiant floor heating. The same person seems to have signed both checks, though the signature is challenging to interpret. However, the name Martorelli appears in the memo line of check 5032. My source also says that both checks were paid back, but that check 5032 was not paid back until January 6, 2025, “when the new treasurer found it in the check log.”
The treasurer in question was, reportedly, Dave Galotto. We reached out via email to confirm and get his input but did not hear back by the time we were ready to publish this article. According to my initial source, the treasurer “subsequently resigned when the allegations were brushed under the rug by the majority of the Little League executive board as an ‘accident.’" (Update: See a statement Galotto later made on social media here.)
Given this information, Stafford Free Press sent an email to Stafford Little League on January 27, 2025, asking several questions:
I see that on 11/21/24, a check was written for $2,347 to Suffield Academy. Additionally, on 9/27/24, one was written for $5,749.25 to RWM Mechanical. You say in your statement that "all funds were accounted for"? Does that mean the funds were paid back?
Did you review the books from previous years to look for similar discrepancies? If so, what was the outcome?
My sources tell me that Mr. Martorelli has maintained that these checks were written by "accident"? Is that the case, and if so, could you provide further explanation, as it's hard to understand how someone writes checks by accident (as opposed to, say, accidentally using the wrong credit card)?
What actions are being taken to ensure funds are not misused in the future?
I received a response via email from Stafford Little League President Rich Smith reiterating the statement already made on Facebook. Additionally, the email said, “I welcome you and anyone else with questions to come to this meeting. I hope you will attend so you can report to your readers the facts.” I responded, asking if any information in my original email was inaccurate, but I had not received further communication before publication.
However, as we were preparing for publication, we received another communication from an SLL board member who wished to remain anonymous. He says a group of board members are unhappy with how the situation has been handled and that the rules regarding embezzlement have not been followed. He has reached out to East Region Little League in Bristol, and he believes the SLL board must vote at its next meeting on whether or not to remove Martorelli. The board would need a two-thirds majority, and he does not believe they have the votes.
The anonymous board member adds, “The trust of the community has already been broken because of this. I can't say that I blame them, either. The board is under some ‘pseudo-gag order.’ We have been instructed not to talk to anyone about this issue. How's that for transparency?”
During the Facebook discussion about this issue, several people asked if tax dollars fund Stafford Little League. According to a Facebook comment from Steve Geryk, chair of Stafford’s Board of Finance, “The town gave the little league $4450 in the past year and last year paid over $12,000 for the electric at Kealy Field. The parks department maintains all the fields and complex. The parks department is funded through tax dollars.” Like most Little Leagues, SLL seeks sponsorships from local businesses and collects registration fees in addition to any funding the town provides.
Stafford Little League’s next meeting will be held in the Staffordville School Gymnasium on February 4 at 7 p.m.
