By Keith Heffintrayer | North Penn Now
A man who was accused of forging checks that were intended for club fees at the Pennsylvania Rush Soccer Club has been granted entry into the Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition (ARD) program.
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Court records show 28-year-old Nikolai Derek, of Newtown, was granted entry into the diversionary program in April. Court notes show Derek will be in the ARD program for a one-year period, and he was also ordered to perform 10 hours of community service and pay $4,203 in restitution by Feb. 18, 2024.
ARD is a pre-trial intervention for primarily first-time offenders on non-violent charges. Participants who successfully complete the program and meet the stipulated requirements will have their charges dismissed and records expunged following completion. Participants who fail to complete the program, or who are arrested or convicted of a new offense while in the program are removed from the program and the original charges are reinstated.
Acceptance into the ARD program is not an admission of guilt.
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Investigators were initially contacted in September 2021 by a woman in Hilltown Township who stated she had provided more than $700 in registration, uniform, and team fees to a soccer coach with the Pennsylvania Rush Soccer Club (PA Rush) named Nikolai Derek since March 2021. The woman stated that she never received her son’s uniform, and a review of her checking account showed one of the checks had been cashed twice, with the first being electronically cashed for PA Rush and the second being an altered version of the same check that had Derek’s name added to the payable line, according to charging documents.
The woman then contacted PA Rush, who stated they had never received either payment, police said.
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From that point, a lengthy investigation by police identified another seven victims, with Derek allegedly collecting money from the eight combined victims and additional money as a result of cashing or depositing checks multiple times, police said.
The PA Rush technical director told police Derek did not have permission to collect funds directly from families, and none of the funds collected were ever turned over to PA Rush.
Investigators said Derek altered a total of nine checks by adding his name to the payable line without permission, and the signatures on the checks displayed a strong similarity to the signature on Derek’s driver’s license. Upon being interviewed by police, Derek allegedly confessed to altering the checks, cashing some on more than one occasion and failing to provide the funds to PA Rush.
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As a result of the investigation Derek was charged in October 2022 with nine felony counts of forgery, along with felony counts of theft by unlawful taking and receiving stolen property.
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