A Bucks County man is facing nearly a dozen felony charges following a multi-year investigation by the Hilltown Township Police Department that allegedly uncovered nearly $6,800 had been stolen from families attempting to pay fees for their children to play soccer.
Investigators were initially contacted in September 2021 by a woman in Hilltown Township who stated she had provided more than $700 in registration, uniform, and team fees to a soccer coach with the Pennsylvania Rush Soccer Club (PA Rush) named Nikolai Derek since March 2021. The woman stated that she never received her son’s uniform, and a review of her checking account showed one of the checks had been cashed twice, with the first being electronically cashed for PA Rush and the second being an altered version of the same check that had Derek’s name added to the payable line, according to charging documents.
The woman then contacted PA Rush, who stated they had never received either payment, police said.
From that point, a lengthy investigation by police identified another seven victims, with Derek allegedly collecting $5,857 from the eight combined victims and another $2,371 as a result of cashing or depositing checks multiple times. Minus the $1,437 that was refunded by the victims’ banks, Derek is alleged to have stolen $6,791, police said.
The PA Rush technical director told police Derek did not have permission to collect funds directly from families, and none of the funds collected were ever turned over to PA Rush.
Investigators said Derek altered a total of nine checks by adding his name to the payable line without permission, and the signatures on the checks displayed a strong similarity to the signature on Derek’s driver’s license. Upon being interviewed by police, Derek allegedly confessed to altering the checks, cashing some on more than one occasion and failing to provide the funds to PA Rush.
As a result of the investigation, Nikolai Derek, 27, of Newtown, has been charged with nine felony counts of forgery, along with felony counts of theft by unlawful taking and receiving stolen property. He is currently free on $10,000 unsecured bail.
His next court appearance is a preliminary hearing on Dec. 20 at 1:45 p.m. in front of District Judge Regina Armitage.
When reached for comment, PA Rush Technical Director Kristian Bates confirmed Derek is no longer with the club and has not been with the club since August 2021.
“When we were made aware of the situation, we contacted the local authorities immediately and have been working with them to resolve this matter,” Bates said.
All suspects and defendants are innocent until proven guilty. This story was compiled using court records and the affidavit of probable cause.
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