Matthew Dickson, former board member of Dix Hills Soccer Club, charged with grand larceny

A former board member of the Dix Hills Soccer Club was arrested Wednesday on a grand larceny charge for allegedly stealing more than $70,000 from the organization, a Suffolk prosecutor said at his arraignment in Riverhead.

Matthew Dickson, 44, of Dix Hills, pleaded not guilty at his arraignment before State Supreme Court Justice John Collins. He was released on his own recognizance.

“Hundreds of children and their families join the Dix Hills Soccer Club every year to be a part of the community, make friends, and learn how to play soccer,” Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney said in a statement. “It is a shame that anyone would want to jeopardize that rite of passage by exploiting their position of trust to steal from those same kids and their families.”

Dickson is accused of writing checks to himself from the club's accounts between April and November 2022, while serving as president and vice president, which he deposited into his own personal and business accounts. He also received payments from participants in the program to his personal Venmo account for club events and “failed to reimburse the club for the expenses charged to the Dix Hills credit card,” Suffolk County Assistant District Attorney Adriana Noyola told the court.

Dickson, who was responsible for paying the soccer club's bills, has no prior criminal history, the prosecutor added.

Defense attorney James Misiano, of Brentwood, said Dickson, a mortgage broker with Federal Savings Bank, voluntarily surrendered to law enforcement after learning of the pending indictment earlier this month. He told the judge Dickson is a married father of five children between the ages of 5 and 15.

Collins said he was releasing Dickson so he can continue to provide for his family as he awaits the outcome of his case.

Misiano said he is still investigating the allegations against his client.

“Mr. Dickson appreciates the presumption of innocence the law affords him and hopes that the community will give him the same consideration,” Misiano said in a statement.

In a statement, the Dix Hills Soccer Club board of directors said: “These were not the easiest actions to take, but ultimately our responsibility is to act in the best interests of our club and its families. Our governance enabled us to identify the problem quickly and report it to the proper authorities."

Dickson is due back in court April 12.

By Grant Parpan

grant.parpan@newsday.com@GrantParpan

Grant Parpan covers Suffolk County courts and federal courts for Newsday. A Long Island native, he joined Newsday in 2022.