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Former Joplin youth baseball president pleads guilty to $50,000 in wire fraud

A Joplin woman will not serve prison time, but will have to pay back the money she pleaded guilty to stealing thousands of dollars from a youth baseball league.

Diane L. Heikkila, 41, was president of the nonprofit Joplin South Little League when an ATM withdrawal at Downstream Casino in Quapaw, Oklahoma led to the discovery of a fraud scheme. Heikkila agreed to plead guilty to one count of felony wire fraud in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri on Tuesday.

As part of her duties as league president, Heikkila was given a debit card to pay for operating expenses.