TROY – In a real-life version of the famous Monopoly game, a Troy man seemingly purchased a “Get Out of Jail Free” card last week for a little less than $4K.

Circuit Judge James Beck approved Feb. 5 a plea bargain that will allow Uriah Hayes to avoid jail time if he pays $3,650 in restitution for embezzling funds from a youth soccer club.

A grand jury indicted Hayes on Felony stealing charges in November 2024 for the role he played in the theft of nearly $100K from the now-defunct Troy Soccer Club.

In addition to Beck suspending the one-year jail term, Hayes also plead to guilty to a lesser charge of misdemeanor theft. Including paying the restitution, which mirrors the amount he allegedly received, he received two years probation.

“We agreed to plea him down to a misdemeanor in exchange of him paying back every cent he took,” Lincoln County Prosecutor Mike Wood said.

Payment Received

Hayes, who provided concession services to the soccer club in 2022 through his food truck, Frankenbruger, received several unauthorized checks that year. His girlfriend at the time and the group’s treasurer, Erica Finkbeiner, wrote the checks.

Finkbeiner faces a felony charge of stealing – $25,000 or more and will appear at a disposition hearing Wednesday, Feb. 19 in front of Judge Beck.

The league president, Donna Vickrey, also faces a felony stealing charge of $25,000 or more. Vickrey will appear before Judge Beck March 19 for a case review.

Thefts Start in 2018

According to court records and an investigation by The Lincoln County Journal, the misappropriation of funds started in June 2018 when Vickrey used the organization’s debit card at Imo’s in Troy.

Since then, numerous inappropriate charges appeared, including trips to out-of-town restaurants, nail salons, Netflix and Disney subscriptions, insurance, property tax and utility payments and even trips to a weight loss clinic.

According to probable cause statements, while Vickrey had the debit card, Finkbeiner had the checkbook and wrote checks for cash while also retaining automated clearing house (ACH) payments, totaling more than $14,000.

After the board expanded in 2022 from four to nine members, more and more questions were asked about the organization’s financials due to a reported lack of funds to purchase needed equipment.

Following several months of Vickrey and Kellock deflecting requests for financial reports, the president gave a tearful confession at a Feb. 15, 2023 meeting that she had diverted $32,000 for personal use, but would be repaying them.

Four days later, the board ousted them both after Vickrey attempted to have a former treasurer removed from the bank account to prevent her from obtaining bank records.

The board later conducted a forensic audit and determined Vickrey and Finkbeiner had misappropriated more than $93K since 2018.

New League Forms

Vickrey also failed to pay the state registration fee to maintain the Troy Soccer League’s not-for-profit status. Consequently, the board voted in late 2023 to dissolve the league and form a new one: The Troy Youth Soccer Association.

That group has thrived, adding a spring season to the fall one with record number of sign-ups.

“We are solid as can be,” Board President Mike Taylor said. “Each season, our numbers are growing as far as the number of players registered.”

Taylor said while the board pays attention to the courtroom developments, they focus on the future.

“The embezzlement of the funds for the Troy Soccer Club is all behind us as we are looking to basically improve our league and the caliber of playing soccer at a recreational level and overall, I think we are doing a fantastic job,” he said. “We don’t really look back at this. We aren’t letting this hold us back on any of that. The league is strong. We are committed and I believe the kids are enjoying themselves playing soccer.”

While the new board focuses on the future, the past may actually prove to be an asset.

Wood said all the restitution Hayes and other defendants pay will be forwarded to the new league.

As part of his probation, Hayes has one year to pay the entirety of the restitution. Failure to do so could result in revocation of his probation and the imposition of the one-year jail sentence.