High school basketball coach accused of stealing nearly $250K from nonprofit

LOWER BURRELL, Pa. — The Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office has filed theft charges against the now-suspended head coach of the Burrell High School boys basketball team.

Detectives said Michael Fantuzzo, 40, stole $246,000 from the Pennsylvania Occupational Therapy Association, a nonprofit headquartered in the eastern part of the state. Court documents say he used the money to take his family to Disney World and the Outer Banks, buy a $10,000 hot tub for his home and pay off credit cards.

The DA’s office said Fantuzzo, the former treasurer of the nonprofit, also used the money to join the Hillcrest Country Club and hire a limousine service. Court documents said this all happened between May 2021 and September of 2025 and was only uncovered when a new Board of Directors was elected.

Community members couldn’t believe it.

“The sad thing is, in fact, a lot of that money is not replaceable, and then even if they charge him, they arrest him, whatever – recovering it is almost impossible,” said Robert Polczynski, a retired banking professional. “Over a period of time, what happens is – they take a little bit, take a little bit…Being retired from the bank, I’ve seen it happen too many times, and it’s pretty sad that they take from a nonprofit, especially.”

This season, Fantuzzo led his high school team to the playoffs, who will face off against Belle Vernon without him on Friday. Burrell’s Superintendent of Schools sent us the following statement on Tuesday:

“We have been informed that the varsity boys basketball coach, Mr. Fantuzzo, was arrested and charged with alleged criminal charges in Montgomery County in Pennsylvania. We have been informed that the allegations of misconduct have nothing to do with Burrell School District. Regardless, the coach has been relieved of his duties until the outcome of the Montgomery County proceedings. In the meantime our current assistant coach and volunteers will be in charge of the team.”

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