Former head of Oakland boxing nonprofit to plead guilty to embezzlement charges

OAKLAND, Calif. - The executive director of the East Oakland Boxing Association has decided to plead guilty to federal charges of mail fraud and tax evasion, as well as pocketing a large donation from Steph and Ayesha Curry, court documents reveal. 

Court records indicate Howard Solomon will enter his change of plea on Wednesday in U.S. District Court before Judge Yvonne Gonzales Rogers in Oakland. 

Solomon is being represented by attorney Randy Sue Pollock, said she had no further comment on Monday. 

In March, Solomon was charged by the U.S. Attorney's Office with embezzling money from the boxing nonprofit, which provides lessons and internships to youth in East Oakland, for personal use, including Amazon purchases, a vacation rental and a Ford Explorer.

Prosecutors also charged Solomon specifically with taking a $50,000 donation made to the boxing associated by Stephen and Ayesha Curry in 2019 on the Ellen DeGeneres Show, and depositing it into his own personal account. 

In addition, Solomon was charged with filing false and fraudulent income tax returns in 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021.

After Solomon's arraignment, the East Oakland Boxing Association released a statement saying that they condemned his alleged actions, and that the current leadership has fully cooperated with authorities. 

"We acknowledge the pain and distrust caused by past leadership, but EOBA has emerged stronger, wiser, and more resilient," the statement read. "We are committed to earning back the confidence of our supporters and continuing to serve the youth who need us most."

In an interview, the association's interim executive director, Dawna Williams, said that she thought Solomon's actions were "egregious and that jail isn't enough." 

Williams said she suspected something was up when she wasn't getting the answers she wanted from Solomon and wasn't getting the reports she was asking for. She said she requested a forensic audit and found a lot of irregularities, which  led to the charges. 

Assistant U.S. Attorney Tom Green is prosecuting this case with Amala James.  This prosecution is the result of an investigation by the IRS.