OAKLAND, Calif. (KRON) — A former director of a youth boxing gym in East Oakland has been sentenced to 27 months in federal prison for embezzling over $549,000 from the nonprofit organization he once led, according to federal prosecutors.
Howard Solomon, 38, served as the executive director of the East Oakland Boxing Association (EOBA) from 2017 to 2021. During his tenure, the EOBA provided critical after-school and summer programs to underserved children in East Oakland, including tutoring, mentorship, and boxing training.
But instead of stewarding donations and public funds, prosecutors say Solomon siphoned off large sums to fund personal expenses, including a Ford Explorer and a vacation rental.
Among the stolen funds was a $50,000 donation from “The Ellen DeGeneres Show”, which had been gifted to the organization during a 2019 televised appearance featuring Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry and his wife Ayesha Curry. The high-profile donation, intended to benefit youth programming, was secretly diverted by Solomon into a personal bank account, investigators found.
“Mr. Solomon’s embezzlement scheme not only victimized the East Oakland Boxing Association, but also deprived low-income, high-risk children in East Oakland of the internships, mentoring, and boxing programs the organization offers,” said IRS Criminal Investigation Special Agent Linda Nguyen.
Solomon pleaded guilty in April to one count of mail fraud and one count of tax evasion. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California, he failed to report the stolen funds as income and evaded more than $287,000 in taxes.
In addition to his prison sentence, U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers ordered Solomon to pay $549,132 in restitution to EOBA and $287,185 to the IRS.
“Howard Solomon used his position of trust to steal from kids and working families,” said U.S. Attorney Craig Missakian. “He threatened the very existence of an organization that is and must remain an important part of the East Oakland community. With this sentence, he is rightly being held accountable for his unspeakable greed.”
Solomon is expected to begin serving his sentence immediately.
