Yahoo Sports St. John Bosco coach Jason Negro embezzled money, paid football players' tuition in cash, lawsuit alleges
A lawsuit filed by three former employees of Bellflower St. John Bosco High alleges that highly decorated football coach Jason Negro embezzled money from the Catholic school for years and had assistant coaches pay the tuition for prized players in cash, saying the payments were from "anonymous donors."
The filing in Los Angeles County Superior Court also alleges that Negro conducted all financial transactions associated with his powerhouse program in cash that he keeps in a safe in his office, with no accounting or accountability by the school.
California Interscholastic Federation bylaws state that "anybody tied to the school cannot give out money based on athletic ability," and a spokesman for the Southern Section said that providing money to players for tuition is a "potential violation."
Plaintiffs Brian Wickstrom, Melanie Marcaurel and Derek Barraza allege that they were improperly fired last year and seek restitution, reinstatement and unspecified punitive and general damages for emotional distress. Wickstrom was the St. John Bosco president and chief executive from July 2020 until July 2024, Macaurel was the chief financial officer from February 2023 until July 2024, and Barraza was vice president of technology from August 2021 until September 2024.
"The Salesian Order's termination of Wickstrom and Marcaurel was motivated by the desire to protect the football program and its head coach Jason Negro from scrutiny or oversight of illegal conduct," the lawsuit alleges.
Read more: Sports power St. John Bosco making administrative changes under direction of Salesians
The filing also alleges that officials in the Salesian Society, a Roman Catholic religious order founded in the late nineteenth century by Saint John Bosco to care for poor children during the industrial revolution, retaliated against the plaintiffs for reporting the violations, citing what is known as the California Whistleblower Protection Act.
Marcaurel, in particular, confronted Negro about the practice of collecting cash and making payments, demanding that the football program adhere to established accounting practices, but was met with "fierce resistance" from the coach, according to the lawsuit.
One of the assistants who allegedly delivered cash to the business office for overdue tuition for players was Jake Negro, Jason's brother who is the special teams coach and a mathematics teacher at St. John Bosco.
Jason Negro, a 1991 St. John Bosco graduate, became coach in 2010 and almost immediately elevated the program to a level on par with longtime reigning Southland power Mater Dei. By 2013, St. John Bosco went 16-0, winning its first Southern Section championship and state title and earning a No. 1 national ranking by Max Preps and USA Today.
St. John Bosco again topped the national rankings in 2022, winning its fourth state title under Negro, who took home national coach of the year honors. He is still the coach and a teacher at the school.
"St. John Bosco High School is aware of claims made against the Salesian Society and myself by former employees of St. John Bosco," Negro said in a statement. "An independent investigation has already been conducted and all the facts will come to light in court. The claim has been in the hands of our legal team and our school will defer all questions to them."
Read more: Sondheimer: How St. John Bosco and Mater Dei became superpowers
Among the allegations detailed in the lawsuit are that only cash was accepted as payment for youth camps run by St. John Bosco, that gear given to Negro by Nike was sold for cash and that the proceeds from parking, game programs and raffles at home games were paid in cash to Negro.
Cash from Negro's safe also paid for the coaching staff to take periodic "retreats" to the Palm Springs area, the lawsuit alleges. "There, the football staff engaged in profligate spending for hotels, meals, and large amounts of alcohol. Assistant coaches raved that they were able to go drinking on 'Bosco's dime.' Negro, who set up these retreats, was reluctant to provide receipts or any other accounting to Marcaurel."
Marcaurel and Wickstrom attempted last year to end the cash-only system and run football revenue and expenses through the school business office, with Marcaurel issuing a "corrective action proposal" that included hiring a certified public accountant. The Salesian Order responded by sending consultants to the school instead of hiring a CPA, according to the lawsuit. The consultants, Jay Conner and Cathy Vivian, "promptly demonstrated that they were not there for the Salesians' stated intent, but instead used the audit as a ruse to come and rid the business office of its current staff and squelch the audit that would provide any accountability for the football program,” the lawsuit alleges.
Cash payments to Negro and assistant coaches weren't reported as income to the Internal Revenue Service or Franchise Tax Board, the lawsuit states, alleging that "Negro, in pocketing and using for his personal use much of the cash obtained for the football program, engaged in embezzlement and fraud."
Read more: Mater Dei hazing lawsuit that followed locker-room beating is dismissed
Wickstrom was fired by Salesians official Fr. Mel Trinidad, who according to the lawsuit "violated California corporations law by inserting himself as principal and CEO of St. John Bosco High School." A week later, Trinidad fired Marcaurel, the suit states.
Barraza, a 1999 St. John Bosco graduate who did a variety of tasks for the business office and athletic department, was fired in September for "his perceived loyalty to Wickstrom and Marcaurel," according to the lawsuit.
St. John Bosco issued a statement shortly after Wickstrom and Marcaurel said they were fired, pledging support for Trinidad and for an increased leadership role by the Salesians.
“Over the last several months, the Salesian Society has engaged in a period of discernment regarding how to best position SJB for future success," the statement read. "It became clear to Fr. Mel Trinidad, the Salesian Society’s current Provincial, and SJB’s other corporate members that they should play a larger role in guiding the school’s leadership and shaping its future.
“Consequently, they have directed a few leadership changes in the school’s administration. They have also recently implemented a number of other changes, and they anticipate that additional changes may be made in the future.
Read more: Mater Dei claims Southern Section Division 1 football title in battle with St. John Bosco
“The goal of these efforts is to better align the school’s governance and operations with the Salesian vision. The Salesians pray that these changes will enable SJB’s faculty and staff to better serve the students of SJB and their families in the spirit of St. John Bosco.”
Reached for comment at the time, Negro pledged his unqualified support for the Salesians, saying, "We’re in an awesome spot.”
Times staff writer Eric Sondheimer contributed to this report.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
