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January 29, 2025
Three former employees of Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco High School claim in a lawsuit that head football coach Jason Negro embezzled school funds for years and had assistants pay top players’ tuition in cash. According to the Los Angeles Times, the lawsuit filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court claims that Negro handled all financial dealings for the powerhouse program exclusively in cash, storing the funds in a safe in his office without oversight or record-keeping by the school.
According to California Interscholastic Federation bylaws, “anybody tied to the school cannot give out money based on athletic ability.” A CIF Southern Section spokesperson told the LA Times that offering financial assistance for tuition could be considered a “potential violation.”
Former St. John Bosco employees Brian Wickstrom, Melanie Marcaurel and Derek Barraza claim they were wrongfully terminated last year and are seeking compensation, reinstatement and unspecified damages for emotional distress. Wickstrom, the former president and CEO of the school, and Marcaurel, its chief financial officer, were fired in July 2024, while Barraza, the vice president of technology, was let go in September 2024.
“The Salesian Order’s termination of Wickstrom and Marcaurel was motivated by the desire to protect the football program and its head coach Jason Negro from scrutiny or oversight of illegal conduct,” the lawsuit alleges.
The lawsuit also claims that leaders within the Salesian Society — a Roman Catholic religious order founded by Saint John Bosco in the 19th century to aid impoverished children — retaliated against the plaintiffs for reporting alleged misconduct. The complaint cites the California Whistleblower Protection Act as the basis for their claims.
According to the lawsuit, Marcaurel directly challenged Negro over his handling of cash transactions and insisted that the football program follow proper accounting procedures. Negro allegedly pushed back against the demand. The lawsuit also claims that Jake Negro, Jason’s brother and the special teams coach as well as a mathematics teacher at St. John Bosco, was among the assistants who delivered cash payments to the business office to cover players’ overdue tuition.
“St. John Bosco High School is aware of claims made against the Salesian Society and myself by former employees of St. John Bosco,” Negro said in a statement, via the LA Times. “An independent investigation has already been conducted and all the facts will come to light in court. The claim has been in the hands of our legal team and our school will defer all questions to them.”
Jason Negro became the head coach of St. John Bosco football in 2010 and quickly elevated it to one of the top programs in the country, leading the Braves to their first Southern Section championship and state title in 2013, earning the No. 1 ranking by MaxPreps. St. John Bosco has won three additional state championships since then under Negro, who has coached Josh Rosen, DJ and Matayo Uiagalelei and Trent McDuffie among other former Braves standouts.
