Federal agents arrested an Orange County woman on four counts of wire fraud after a grand jury indictment accused her of stealing more than $400,000 from the booster club that funds her son’s high school football team. FBI agents took 56-year-old Julie Hanway Molina into custody at her Aliso Viejo home; she has since pleaded not guilty to all four counts in U.S. District Court in Santa Ana.
How did a booster club treasurer allegedly hide the theft for two years?
Molina served as the volunteer treasurer for the nonprofit supporting Aliso Niguel High School’s football program from 2023 through November 2025, a group that relies on parent dues, donations, and fundraisers to cover equipment, travel, and facility costs. Federal prosecutors say her position gave her sole operational access to the group’s bank accounts in Laguna Hills, and that she used it to systematically move money into her own accounts over roughly two years. To keep the club’s board from noticing, prosecutors allege she emailed them falsified financial statements that simply omitted the unauthorized transfers.
Where did the money actually go?
Court records put the total diverted at $411,761. The largest single piece prosecutors have detailed is a June 2023 wire transfer of $131,523 sent from the nonprofit’s account, routed through Federal Reserve processing facilities, to pay off the delinquent mortgage balance on Molina’s own home. Beyond the mortgage, prosecutors say she also used club funds to pay down personal credit card balances and cover everyday household expenses — money that left the volunteer organization running short while student athletes were mid-season.
What happens next?
Each of the four wire fraud counts carries a statutory maximum of 20 years in federal prison, though actual sentences in cases like this typically run well below the maximum. Molina has pleaded not guilty, meaning the case is headed toward pretrial proceedings rather than a resolved outcome. The Wolverine Football Club’s board has said it’s cooperating fully with investigators, and parent volunteers have said they intend to rebuild the organization’s finances through the current season.
Sources: ABC7 Los Angeles · FOX 11 Los Angeles · KTLA · TMZ
