The former executive director of a nonprofit aimed at empowering youth through the game of golf, First Tee San Joaquin, has been arraigned on embezzlement and related charges, the San Joaquin County district attorney’s office announced.
Joseph Smith is accused of stealing funds from First Tee “intended to support these vulnerable children,” District Attorney Ron Freitas said in a statement.
Smith will face a count of embezzlement, grand theft over $950 and four counts of forgery following his arraignment in San Joaquin County Superior Court.
“Those who seek to steal from our children, especially those in a position of trust, will be dealt with to the fullest extent of the law,” Freitas said.
In announcing Smith as its executive director in 2023, First Tee described him as a Stockton native and seasoned PGA professional who had played golf since he was a kid, Caravan News reported at the time.
Smith was the “perfect choice” to run the program because “he is experienced and believes in the mission of First Tee” and has a “passion for working with youth,” Board President Wes Widmer said in the Caravan News story.
Married and the father of two, Smith previously had been president of the Stockton Civic Theatre.
The district attorney’s office said Smith’s next court date is scheduled for June 24.