Former coach under investigation for alleged embezzlement

SANTA CLARA » Police are investigating an allegation made by board members of the Santa Clara Swim Club that their former coach and chief executive officer “misappropriated at least $600,000” from the nonprofit organization.

The allegations were made against John Bitter, who last week was terminated as the club’s chief executive officer and head coach at an emergency board meeting, according to board minutes on the swim club’s website.

Bitter could not immediately be reached for comment.

Santa Clara police were made aware of the allegations Saturday morning, when a board member walked into the front lobby and filed a report, according to Capt. Wahid Kazem. Police immediately called in a detective to begin investigating the allegation.

“A loss like this is not something you can substantiate or understand in a short period of time,” Kazem said. “We’re not familiar with their business practices or finances. Even as of right now, we don’t completely understand the magnitude of the loss.”

Kazem said detectives are still working to corroborate the allegations and obtain documentation to verify the financial loss.

The swim club’s board members emailed club members at large about their allegation against Bitter and the decision to remove him as head coach and CEO, Kazem said.

Santa Clara Swim Club is one of the top swim clubs in the state and operates out of the George F. Haines International Swim Center in Santa Clara. Although the city owns the swim center, the Santa Clara Swim Club is its own entity and the city has no oversight in the club’s day-to-day operations, Kazem said.