Marlins Man defrauded nearly $1.5 million by his bookkeeper of 17 years

Ryan Young
·Staff writer

Florida lawyer Laurence Leavy — better knows as the “Marlins Man,” the superfan who dons the bright orange Miami Marlins jersey and visor and sits behind home plate at MLB ballparks and other major sporting events across the country — was just stabbed in the back by an unlikely foe: his bookkeeper, Maria Alonso.

Alonso, according to the Sun-Sentinel, created fake vendor invoices and used Leavy’s law firm’s computer system to create checks to pay those invoices, defrauding him of almost $1.5 million from his personal and business accounts.

Alonso then deposited those checks into her personal Wells Fargo account, using a Wells Fargo branch in the same building as Leavy’s law firm.

Laurence Leavy — better known as the “Marlins Man” — was defrauded of nearly $1.5 million by his bookkeeper of nearly 17 years. (AP)
Laurence Leavy — better known as the “Marlins Man” — was defrauded of nearly $1.5 million by his bookkeeper of nearly 17 years. (AP)

According to the plea agreement, the 59-year-old bookie issued over 1,000 fake checks totaling to more than $1 million. She pleaded guilty to bank fraud this week and was sentenced to four years in prison, according to the Sun-Sentinel. She has also been ordered to repay what she stole.

Leavy had worked with Alonso for 17 years before he discovered she was stealing from him during an audit in 2016.

“As we dug more and more and more, it was staggering to me,” Leavy told the Sun-Sentinel. “I felt professionally raped.”

Alonso’s attorney said Thursday that she is “extremely repentant for what she did,” though did not comment further.

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