The legal drama involving a former La Quinta AYSO regional commissioner charged with more than three dozen felony embezzlement counts hasn't dampened the spirits of young soccer players or their parents.

Andrew Nielsen, who replaced Sharon Schumaier as regional commissioner, said the new soccer season is moving forward with no glitches.

“For the kids, it's business as usual,” he said.

“They're out there to have fun. That's all we want.”

Schumaier pleaded not guilty during an arraignment hearing on Oct. 22. She was charged with 39 counts of felony embezzlement after more than $113,000 was reported missing from the youth soccer league's coffers.

The 41-year-old Indio woman was charged with felony embezzlement by the Riverside County District Attorney's office on Aug. 12 after a two-month investigation.

She turned herself in the same day and avoided arrest by posting bail in the amount of $113,000.

Schumaier's arraignment last week was held at the Larson Justice Center in Indio, where she appeared before Judge Thomas Douglass Jr.

A felony settlement conference was scheduled for Dec. 17, giving the attorneys an opportunity to “confer to see if the case can be resolved without a hearing or trial,” said Schumaier's attorney, Susanne S. Cho.

Spokesman for the D.A.'s office, Michael Jeandron, said Schumaier wrote 39 checks to her husband Jeff or to the Indio business they own together, Desert Cities Automotive, embezzling more than $113,000.

To control the La Quinta American Youth Soccer Organization finances without oversight, Schumaier allegedly created a fictitious character to serve as her regional auditor.

In January 1996, Schumaier pleaded guilty to grand theft of personal property and money laundering derived from criminal property, according to Orange County Superior Court records.

In July 1997, she was convicted of forgery, Los Angeles County Superior Court documents show.

Schumaier underwent a background investigation before joining the La Quinta AYSO board, said Rosemarie Banich, an administrator at the AYSO National headquarters in Hawthorne.

Most of the La Quinta AYSO's funds come from registration fees, Nielsen said.

“It's still a tight year,” Nielsen said after attending Schumaier's hearing. “We have some corporate sponsors that are helping us.”

Platinum sponsors include Dr. Mike Dawson, an Indio-based chiropractor; Dr. Gary Okamoto, a pediatric dentist in Palm Desert, and KSL Resorts in La Quinta. Bronze sponsors include O.R.D. Inc., a general contractor based in Thermal.

Nielsen said the sponsorships have provided scholarships for children who have the desire to play soccer but don't have the financial means to participate.