A former treasurer of the Makakilo-Kapolei-Honokai Hale Little League pleaded guilty yesterday to stealing $11,500 from his son’s baseball organization.

Paulo Salas-Selem, 40, of Kapolei pleaded guilty to three counts of forgery and four counts of theft. He faces up to 10 years in prison for each count when a state judge sentences him in December.

The Makakilo-Kapolei-Honokai Hale Little League is still suffering from the theft, said Paul Meunster, former board member, former vice president and parent.

"It’s pretty much decimated the league," he said.

Meunster says the number of kids playing in the league dropped to about 100 from a peak of 600 to 700. And he said some parents resigned from league positions after the theft.

Although Salas-Selem pleaded guilty to stealing $11,500, Meunster believes he stole closer to $15,000.

"I forged the checks and took the money," Salas-Selem admitted in court yesterday.

The state says Salas-Selem cashed four checks but forged just three of them because one check was pre-signed for emergencies.

Salas-Selem committed the forgeries and thefts from December 2007 to April 2008 when he was league treasurer.

All of the charges are class C felonies punishable by up to five years in prison. However, because he committed multiple felonies, he faces up to 10 years in prison for each count.

Salas-Selem is asking for a deferral of his guilty pleas, which would give him the opportunity to clear the charges from his criminal record if he stays out of trouble for a designated period of time.

Circuit Judge Virginia Crandall initially scheduled the hearing for Salas-Selem’s deferral request and sentencing for November. She rescheduled it to December after Salas-Selem’s lawyer asked her for more time to allow his client to pay back the money he stole.