Padres Say Charity Problems Are Fixed — And No Further Comment

We fixed it!

That’s the message from the San Diego Padres and Delaware North after the ringleaders of a charity scam operating out of Petco Park pleaded guilty to fraud last week. 

In 2023, Voice of San Diego exposed Chula Vista Fast Pitch — a fake charity operated by Martin Rebollo and Noly Ilarde. On the surface, Chula Vista Fast Pitch was like other charities in the park; it operated concession stands with presumed volunteers and kept roughly 10 percent of the proceeds to support its charitable mission. 

The only problem: It was an open secret among many people in the park that Chula Vista Fast Pitch wasn’t a real charity. 

Rebollo and Ilarde brought in $3.5 million at Petco that was supposed to support real charities. 

We asked the Padres and their concession management company Delaware North if they felt any responsibility to apologize for failing to ensure the money went to actual nonprofits. 

Neither apologized — but they did emphasize that their processes have been strengthened and safeguarded. 

“Since this matter was brought to our attention, we have been satisfied by [Delaware North’s] proactive steps to further strengthen the safeguards used to vet its nonprofit partners. The implementation of enhanced oversight measures… will help ensure that similar issues do not occur at Petco Park in the future, and that funds generated through concession programs are directed exclusively toward benefiting the greater San Diego community,” wrote Padres’ spokesperson Craig Hughner in a statement. 

The wording there is important. 

The nonprofits at Petco, according to Hughner, are the partners of concessionaire Delaware North — not the Padres. That has essentially been the Padres’ position all along. Delaware North manages and oversees concession stands and nonprofits. Therefore, any fake nonprofit business is a Delaware North problem, not a Padres’ problem.  

The Padres, however, are very much partners in the concession business.  

They get roughly 50 percent of concession stand revenue right off the top. Delaware North keeps the remaining amount, out of which it pays workers and operating costs. 

Hughner added: “We won’t have any further comment.” 

Delaware North officials take the recent guilty pleas “very seriously,” wrote spokesperson Charles Roberts.

“We share the disappointment and frustration that funds intended to benefit youth sports in Chula Vista were instead misappropriated by individuals who have now admitted criminal wrongdoing,” Roberts wrote. “Delaware North entered into this relationship in good faith, based on documentation and representations that met our vetting requirements at the time.”

Delaware North immediately kicked Chula Vista Fast Pitch out of the park, after verifying Voice’s initial reporting, Roberts wrote. It also strengthened its verification process, he wrote. 

“Delaware North has expanded resources dedicated to oversight of nonprofit partners. These measures include enhanced annual verification of IRS tax‑exempt status and [Employer Identification Numbers,] review of state nonprofit filings, confirmation of required documentation such as W‑9s and certificates of liability insurance, and use of third‑party charity verification tools to validate eligibility,” Roberts wrote. 

The finer points of how Delaware North has changed its process are not entirely clear. Prior to Voice’s reporting, Delaware North also required proof of liability insurance and other nonprofit documentation. 

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