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Omaha police are investigating alleged fraud after a youth baseball organization announced to families that teams would be dissolved, with no warning. Families say they are still awaiting the refunds they were promised.In the reports, families say they paid the Omaha Nighthawks hundreds of dollars prior to the season starting, some saying their children never played an official game or received a uniform. KETV spoke with coaches and families who say they were blindsided when they were told the teams were dissolving.”Our coaches didn’t even know it was coming. So, nobody had any inclination that this was going to happen,” Jessica Rowe, a parent of a player, said. “Our family is out about $1,250 right now, and in order to join another team, we’re looking to have to pay about another $1,600 on top of the $1,250 we’re already out.”In the email Rowe received on Saturday, the Nighthawks manager said refunds would be processed. Rowe said no one on the team heard from him after, and her team’s coach said his calls no longer go through.”I’m operating with, under the assumption that that money’s gone,” Nighthawks 14 and Under Coach Josiah Hollibaugh said.Hollibaugh’s team had just begun practices in January for the spring season. “It is the entire Omaha Nighthawks organization. So, there are children as young as eight that are being told they can’t play,” Rowe said. “It looks like we’re going to have to press charges against the individual that was the head of the organization. But there’s no guarantee because we can’t find him.”Hollibaugh created a GoFundMe to assist in making up for the lost funds, including a lack of practice space, equipment and uniforms. He said he’s working on getting his players into a new league so they can still play out their season.”Trying to find corporate sponsorship to help alleviate a lot of those costs. So that’s kind of what we’re doing right now, but we don’t have a lot of time,” Hollibaugh said.KETV reached out to the Omaha Nighthawks manager, but the phone number is no longer in service. Make sure you can always see the latest news, weather, sports and more from KETV NewsWatch 7 on Google Search.NAVIGATE: Home | Weather | Local News | National | Sports | Newscasts on demand |
Omaha police are investigating alleged fraud after a youth baseball organization announced to families that teams would be dissolved, with no warning.
Families say they are still awaiting the refunds they were promised.
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In the reports, families say they paid the Omaha Nighthawks hundreds of dollars prior to the season starting, some saying their children never played an official game or received a uniform. KETV spoke with coaches and families who say they were blindsided when they were told the teams were dissolving.
“Our coaches didn’t even know it was coming. So, nobody had any inclination that this was going to happen,” Jessica Rowe, a parent of a player, said. “Our family is out about $1,250 right now, and in order to join another team, we’re looking to have to pay about another $1,600 on top of the $1,250 we’re already out.”
In the email Rowe received on Saturday, the Nighthawks manager said refunds would be processed. Rowe said no one on the team heard from him after, and her team’s coach said his calls no longer go through.
“I’m operating with, under the assumption that that money’s gone,” Nighthawks 14 and Under Coach Josiah Hollibaugh said.
Hollibaugh’s team had just begun practices in January for the spring season.
“It is the entire Omaha Nighthawks organization. So, there are children as young as eight that are being told they can’t play,” Rowe said. “It looks like we’re going to have to press charges against the individual that was the head of the organization. But there’s no guarantee because we can’t find him.”
Hollibaugh created a GoFundMe to assist in making up for the lost funds, including a lack of practice space, equipment and uniforms. He said he’s working on getting his players into a new league so they can still play out their season.
“Trying to find corporate sponsorship to help alleviate a lot of those costs. So that’s kind of what we’re doing right now, but we don’t have a lot of time,” Hollibaugh said.
KETV reached out to the Omaha Nighthawks manager, but the phone number is no longer in service.
Make sure you can always see the latest news, weather, sports and more from KETV NewsWatch 7 on Google Search.
NAVIGATE: Home | Weather | Local News | National | Sports | Newscasts on demand |
