Utah mountain bike coach accused of embezzling non-profit’s funds

EAGLE MOUNTAIN — The president of a non-profit bicycling club in Utah County, who is also the head coach of a high school mountain bike team, is accused of embezzling money from the non-profit’s bank account to pay for personal expenses such as rent and groceries.

Adam H. Clark, 51, of Eagle Mountain, was arrested Wednesday for investigation of 10 counts of embezzlement.

Clark is the president of the non-profit Flyers Cycling Club LLC, and also the head coach of the Cedar Valley Mountain Bike Team, a mountain biking team in Eagle Mountain made up of high school and junior high students.

On June 9, the Utah County Sheriff’s Office was contacted by council members of the nonprofit organization who had recently checked the organization’s main bank account, according to a police booking affidavit.

“What they discovered were dozens of apparent fraudulent transactions appearing to be used for personal expenses by the organization’s president. The team council reported to me that the nonprofit president and then head coach of the Cedar Valley Mountain Bike Team, Adam Clark, was the only one that had access and control over the funds in this main account,” the affidavit states.

Investigators looked through pages of monthly bank statements and found “several suspicious withdrawals and card transactions that did not appear to be for the purpose of the nonprofit. I noted several large withdrawals, with one appearing to be used for paying rent. Others included large Venmo withdrawals in Adam Clark’s name, several fast food and grocery purchases,” the sheriff’s office wrote in the affidavit.

Clark was given a “letter of no confidence” by the team council on June 5 and confronted by two council members the next day. The witnesses told investigators that Clark “was extremely emotional about the situation and they reported him saying ‘I was just trying to float’ and ‘I had every intention to pay it back,'” according to the affidavit.

On Tuesday, Clark posted an apology letter and video on social media.

“In this video and letter, Adam admits to wrongdoing by stating: ‘I used organizational funds for personal expenses that I should have paid for myself.’ The suspect was also quoted as saying, ‘No one else made those decisions for me. No coach, volunteer, parent, board member or supporter directed or approved them. The responsibility is mine alone,'” the affidavit states.

The sheriff’s office questioned Clark on Wednesday. He allegedly said the total amount of funds used for his personal expenses was about $13,000, according to the affidavit.

“An investigative subpoena for Adam’s bank accounts has been submitted and further investigation will lead to a more conclusive total. Adam stated that in total, $30,000 is likely missing from the account that only he had access to. During the interview, Adam admitted to using the organization’s funds several times,” the affidavit states. Detectives confirmed Clark used the organization’s funds for items such as “child support, rent, groceries and utilities.”