The former president of a not-for-profit youth sports club that partners with Cooper City is facing felony fraud and theft charges related to how he managed the club’s finances, court records show.

Herminio Molina, 57, of Cooper City, was arrested Sunday on one count of grand theft of over $10,000 and less than $20,000 and one count of organized scheme to defraud, according to a probable cause affidavit.

Broward Sheriff’s deputies began investigating Molina, who was the president of the Cooper City Optimist Club, in January after Parks and Recreation Maintenance Supervisor Jonathan Pares reported that Molina had allegedly rented out a city-owned soccer field for $200 when he was not authorized, the affidavit said.

After the investigation began, deputies received “numerous anonymous allegations” that Molina had misused his position as the club’s president to embezzle money from the program, according to the affidavit. In total, Molina is accused of fraudulently obtaining more than $13,000.

The Cooper City Optimist club is a private, not-for-profit organization and does not have ownership of the city’s sports fields. Molina rented the soccer field to someone, who is not identified in the affidavit, in December for $200. The money was deposited into Molina’s Zelle account, the affidavit said.

Two days after deputies interviewed the person who rented the field, Molina dropped off $200 in cash to Parks and Recreation Assistant Director Joshua Rhodes for the rental, the affidavit said. Molina allegedly told the city employee that the payment was late because he was on vacation and had forgotten because of the holidays.

Rhodes told deputies that he is the only person who rents the city’s fields, and payments are supposed to be made directly to the city. Molina had asked Rhodes to tell the investigating deputies that Molina was authorized to take money for the field rental through Zelle, but Rhodes said in a sworn statement that he did not agree, the affidavit said.

The Sheriff’s Office met with the club’s treasurer after learning of further allegations against Molina and issued subpoenas to Molina’s financial accounts, including his Zelle. Detectives found numerous transactions with his personal Bank of America account that were related to the club, the affidavit said.

Financial records showed that Soccer Capacities LLC, a sponsor of the Cooper City Optimist Club, gave Molina a total donation of $7,700 last year through Zelle to pay for 10 welded metal boxes, according to the affidavit. Molina contracted with a company to construct them and paid using his personal credit card.

Molina then requested reimbursement from the club for the full total, and Molina did not return any amount to the company that had donated the $7,700 after he was reimbursed, the affidavit said.

The club’s treasurer in emails with Molina about the reimbursement questioned why he used his personal credit card to pay for the boxes, according to the affidavit. Molina allegedly said he “wanted to earn points on his credit card for the large purchase.”

The club’s treasurer told deputies in a sworn statement that he did not know that Soccer Capacities LLC had made a donation for the metal boxes and that he had sent two separate payments to Molina’s bank account, the affidavit said.

The investigation found that two companies donated to the club in July 2024 and October 2024 for a total of $2,000. The donations weren’t turned over to the club until Jan. 17, more than a week after Molina learned he was under investigation, according to the affidavit.

Molina’s personal Zelle records showed he also received payments from the club’s five concession stands at the city’s sports fields, totaling more than $3,300 from September 2024 to early January, the affidavit said. Molina wrote a check for just under $300 to the club’s account in December, after learning of the Sheriff’s Office investigation.

Attorney information was not available Tuesday afternoon. Molina had been released from jail after posting bail.

The city said in a statement Tuesday: “The allegations against Mr. Molina are serious, and City staff has cooperated, and will continue to cooperate, with authorities throughout the ongoing investigation. As part of a continued commitment to transparency and accountability, the City is actively reviewing all applicable policies and procedures related to the use and rental of City fields and facilities.”

Originally Published: May 13, 2025 at 5:15 PM EDT

By Shay Lelonek / Asst. News Director

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COOPER CITY, FLA. (WSVN) – The president of the Optimist Club of Cooper City was arrested and charged after, investigators said, he embezzled more than $13,000 by misusing donor funds, field rental fees and concession stand sales.

Herminio Molina, 57, is accused of orchestrating an organized scheme to defraud between January and December 2024 while serving as the volunteer president of the youth sports nonprofit. He faces charges of grand theft and obtaining property by fraud, both involving amounts under $20,000.

Molina told 7News he was stunned by the allegations as he left jail Tuesday.

“I’m shocked, and hopefully it comes out the right way,” he said.

According to an arrest report, Molina unlawfully rented out a city-owned soccer field for $200 without proper authorization, accepting payment via Zelle to his personal account.

City officials said he had no authority to rent the fields or collect money on behalf of the city. When questioned, Molina allegedly asked a city parks official to falsely claim he was authorized to accept the payment.

The investigation also revealed Molina solicited a $7,700 donation to fund the construction of metal equipment boxes for the Optimist program.

He reportedly paid the vendor using those donated funds, then allegedly submitted a reimbursement request to the Optimist treasurer for the same amount. Investigators said Molina was reimbursed in full by the nonprofit and never repaid the donor, effectively double-dipping.

Additional scrutiny of Molina’s financial activity uncovered more than $3,300 in concession stand sales funneled through his personal Zelle account.

The sales occurred from September 2024 to January 2025 at fields operated by the City of Cooper City. Molina reportedly turned over only $281.50 to the Optimist account — just days after learning he was under investigation.

Officials said Molina also delayed turning in $1,000 donations from two local businesses until months after they were made, and only after learning of the inquiry.

Molina denied any wrongdoing.

“I’ve been in there 18 years, and I volunteer — president, commissioner, 18 years serving the community — and not once, not once,” said Molina.

The Optimist treasurer and other witnesses have provided sworn statements to police.

Molina was taken into custody and booked on April 15.

Community members said the investigations into the Optimist Club now casts a shadow over the youth programs it sponsored in the city.

“I think it’s horrible, because Cooper City Optimist Club is such a big part of our community, and it’s like a main thing in Cooper City,” said area resident Amanda Azzarito.

The City of Cooper City released the following statement regarding Molina’s arrest:

The City of Cooper City is troubled to learn of the arrest and multiple allegations against Herminio Molina, a former president of the Cooper City Optimist Club, involving suspected theft and fraud. The allegations against Mr. Molina are serious, and City staff has cooperated, and will continue to cooperate, with authorities throughout the ongoing investigation. As part of a continued commitment to transparency and accountability, the City is actively reviewing all applicable policies and procedures related to the use and rental of City fields and facilities. While the Optimist Club operates as an independent organization, the City of Cooper City values the Club’s long-standing mission, its positive role in our community, and its impact on the lives of local youth. The Club’s impact is made possible through the spirit and dedication of countless volunteers. Cooper City remains firmly committed to supporting youth programs and fostering strong community partnerships that prioritize the well-being of residents and the integrity of the organizations that serve them.

Molina believes he’s been made the target of a future potential political opponent.

“Coming up on elections, he knows I’m gonna be running, and one thing leads to another,” said Molina.

Molina’s attorney said he paid the initial $200 back to the city and he’s confident the charges will be dropped.

“It’s $200, right? You can’t even buy a hamburger in South Florida for $200, that he returned,” his attorney said.

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St. Maries Middle School Principal Victoria Carson worried students would lose opportunities to explore potential careers and channel their creativity when her shop program and several popular electives were cut due to budgetary constraints.

Fortunately, University of Idaho Extension has helped fill the programming void — launching a one-credit elective course in early 2025 offered during three class periods each school day.

Parents and School Board members in the small, northern Idaho logging community couldn’t be happier with the new, Extension-run Engineering, Agriculture, Range-forestry, Technology and Horticulture program (EARTH). Structuring EARTH as an elective course is a pioneering approach as most youth-tailored Extension programs are taught after school or during the summer, independent of school districts.

“We’re putting materials in front of kids that they would never be exposed to otherwise,” Carson said. “Our parents are really excited that their kids have this unique experience.”

Though the school doesn’t currently offer an official gifted and talented program, 28 high-performing youth were chosen to help pilot EARTH. Both the school and UI Extension hope to make EARTH available to the broader student body in the future.

“Our gifted and talented kids have been given an opportunity to extend their learning,” Carson said. “They’re performing above their peers and needed an opportunity to be challenged.”

EARTH was created by two first-year UI Extension employees serving Benewah County — Madison Sotin, the county’s UI Extension 4-H Youth Development program coordinator, and Lauren King, an Extension educator who specializes in agriculture, natural resources and 4-H. Sotin, King and Mary Jo O’Riley, who works for Extension with funding from the AmeriCorps program, take turns teaching EARTH classes, working together during some of the most intensive lessons.

Sotin had prior teaching experience from three summers spent working as an AmeriCorps STEM youth instructor. King had coached youth sports, served as a summer camp counselor and taught youth tour groups while working at the U of I Pitkin Forest Nursery in Moscow. Furthermore, King’s status as an associate professor reassured School Board members that qualified teachers would oversee EARTH.

“The principal and the School Board asked us, ‘Who else is doing this?’ and we were like, ‘Nobody,’” King said. “The other super unique thing is Madison and I are both new. I think we’ve made an impact on the community, we’ve shown what we’re capable of, and they’re excited to see more from us.”

The class emphasizes hands-on learning. A group of students appeared before their School Board to present the model bridges they designed and constructed during the EARTH engineering section. For another lesson, classes made miniature habitats from cardboard and art supplies depicting scenes of post-wildfire landscape recoveries. An especially popular project involved positioning matchsticks on a platform to mimic a forest, with some matchsticks spaced close together and others far apart. The students got to ignite their mock forests outdoors, demonstrating the fire risk posed by forest overgrowth.

To supplement their lessons, the Extension instructors sometimes recruit other Extension team members and professionals from the community to serve as guest lecturers. For example, Jessie Van Buren, an Extension educator based in Latah County, brought a realistic, foam beef carcass to the classroom, demonstrating how to break it down into individual cuts of meat. Tami Goetz, a 4-H area Extension educator, spoke to the class about leave-no-trace principles when recreating in the outdoors.

“I think this class is way different than all of the other ones because you actually get to do things and build things,” said a student in the EARTH program who plans to become a marine biologist. “I look forward to this class every day. It’s helped me to learn about environments and ecosystems.”

The impetus for EARTH came when the UI Extension office no longer had access to a small building it had used as a 4-H STEM center at the conclusion of a donated lease. Sotin approached Carson, who is a family friend, about the possibility of housing equipment and supplies from the STEM center in the middle school’s former shop room, suggesting it could be used for an after-school learning program offered every other day. Carson had a grander vision, encouraging them to use the equipment for teaching multiple sessions of a STEM-based class during school hours.

“We said, ‘OK then, let’s go be middle-school teachers,’” Sotin said. “It’s honestly gone much better than I thought. We have a really solid group of kids who have gotten super interested in it. They tell us time and time again that we’re their favorite class, which has given us an appreciation that we’re doing the right thing.”

Sotin and King will investigate options for hiring a full-time EARTH teacher prior to next fall, which would allow them to remain active in the program while freeing time for them to invest in their other Extension duties.

EARTH is offered on a pass-fail basis. Sotin and King will distribute surveys near the end of the school year to guide program improvements. They’ll also have students retake a test they assigned at the start of the class covering the subject matter to demonstrate their progress. They’ll submit additional data to school administrators assessing students’ level of participation in the class, respectfulness and completeness of their projects.

Published in Catching Up with CALS