St. John Bosco targets ex-CEO, backs coach Jason Negro after lawsuit alleges he embezzled money
The statement from Fr. Mel Trinidad, provincial of the Salesians and interim president of St. John Bosco, said that Brian Wickstrom was fired as the school's president and chief executive in July because "the school uncovered information that Wickstrom obtained loans without authorization, received excessive compensation and benefits to which he was not entitled, and breached his fiduciary duties."
Wickstrom's lawyer, late Thursday, strongly denied the allegations.
The statement is separate from a court filing expected soon from St. John Bosco that will serve as a formal response to the lawsuit. The filing is required within 30 days of the defendants being served with the lawsuit, which occurred the second week of January.
Wickstrom and fellow former administrators Melanie Marcaurel and Derek Barraza allege in the lawsuit first reported by The Times that they were improperly fired last year and seek restitution, reinstatement and unspecified punitive and general damages for emotional distress.
The lawsuit alleges that Negro — a highly regarded coach who led St. John Bosco to the top of national rankings in 2013 and 2022 — embezzled money from the all-boys school for years and had assistant coaches pay the tuition for prized players in cash, saying the payments were from "anonymous donors."
Read more: St. John Bosco coach Jason Negro embezzled money, paid football players' tuition in cash, lawsuit alleges
The filing in Los Angeles County Superior Court also alleges that Negro conducted financial transactions associated with his powerhouse program in cash that he kept in a safe in his office, with no accounting or accountability by the school. The plaintiffs assert that they were impeded by Salesian officials from reining in Negro.
Trinidad did not address those allegations in his statement, other than to stand by Negro by saying that the coach "has, for decades, supported the education, growth and well-being of hundreds of student-athletes in the classroom and on the field. St. John Bosco High School fully intends to vigorously defend this lawsuit and pursue its own legal remedies for the harm caused to the school."
The statement zeroed in on Wickstrom, who served stints as athletic director at the University of Incarnate Word in San Antonio and the University of Louisiana Monroe before he was hired by St. John Bosco in July 2020.
"The school gave Plaintiffs' attorney the opportunity to provide any documents or explanation for the financial improprieties," the statement said. "No information or explanation was provided. Instead, this lawsuit against the school, the Salesians and Coach Negro was filed."
Wickstrom responded to Trinidad's statement through his lawyer, Rob Hennig.
"Father Mel Trinidad fired Brian Wickstrom illegally without any authorization from Bosco's Board of Directors," the statement said. "Wickstrom was fired because he dared to try to hold Jason Negro accountable for Negro's conduct as detailed in a 17-page complaint and with corroborating emails and other evidence.
Read more: Sports power St. John Bosco making administrative changes under direction of Salesians
"At the time of Wickstrom's termination, Trinidad never raised any claims of financial impropriety or other misconduct by Wickstrom. Indeed, it was only after Wickstrom directly raised his illegal termination with Bosco that Bosco attempted an investigation to come up with a post hoc justification for Wickstrom's termination.
"Tellingly, Bosco does not refute Wickstrom's claim that he was fired for trying to hold Negro accountable or that Negro handled large amounts of cash off the books. Wickstrom denies these false allegations and will defend against these smear tactics in Court."
A financial services company, Itria Ventures, sued St. John Bosco, Wickstrom and the school's former chief financial officer, Jeff Wacha, in March 2024 for defaulting on a $1 million loan taken out in February 2023. Wacha was replaced by Marcaurel shortly thereafter.
Trinidad said in his statement that the Salesians hired independent financial consultants to investigate but that Wickstrom "threatened to file a lawsuit against the school in an effort to prevent the independent financial consultants from completing their investigation and work."
Meanwhile, according to the latest lawsuit, Marcaurel and Wickstrom attempted last year to end Negro's alleged 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 instead responded by sending consultants Jay Conner and Cathy Vivian to the school, the lawsuit states, alleging that they "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."
Read more: Sondheimer: How St. John Bosco and Mater Dei became superpowers
Cash payments to Negro and assistant coaches weren't reported as income to the Internal Revenue Service or the California 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."
Negro said in a statement Tuesday that "[a]n 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," the coach said, "and our school will defer all questions to them.'
Shortly after Wickstrom and Marcaurel were fired by Trinidad, St. John Bosco issued a statement announcing 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."
Negro is represented by high-powered trial lawyer Brian Panish, a St. John Bosco alumnus and the lead donor to the school's $7.2-million Panish Family Stadium. According to his firm's website, his courtroom victories include a $4.9-billion verdict in a landmark products liability case against General Motors and six verdicts in excess of $50 million.
The 5,000-seat football stadium opened in 2018, and at the time, Panish expressed gratitude for his St. John Bosco education, telling the Long Beach Press-Telegram, "The lessons I learned helped me be a better person and prepared me for life. ... I went there at a time in my life when I didn't have all my values sorted out, and they helped me develop my moral compass spiritually, academically and athletically.'
Get the best, most interesting and strangest stories of the day from the L.A. sports scene and beyond from our newsletter The Sports Report.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
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