Denise Cardenas, as seen in the courtesy photo provided by the Pinal County Sheriffs Office.
The Pinal County Attorney’s Office made a statement on September 10th, revealing that a former women’s basketball coach from Central Arizona College has been sentenced to prison for his involvement in a fraudulent incident that targeted members of the college’s women’s basketball team.
According to the statement, Denise Cardenas, aged 45, has been sentenced to four months in an Arizona prison. Following her prison term, she will be placed under three years of supervised probation.
According to a statement, Cardenas is also accountable for reimbursing the college with approximately $25,000. The college has already compensated the victims.
According to a spokesperson from PCAO, Cardenas has admitted guilt to charges of felony fraudulent schemes and felony theft. The investigation into Cardenas began in August 2022.
According to the spokesperson, during the investigation, it was discovered that Cardenas, also known as ‘Coach Gooch,’ misled several girls she recruited by informing them that they had been awarded half scholarships. She then instructed them to pay for the remaining half of their school tuition. However, when submitting the paperwork to the college, Cardenas falsely claimed that these girls were on full scholarships. As a result, several girls ended up paying Cardenas for their portion of the tuition using financial aid Pell Grant funds.
According to a statement from Central Arizona College, the students who were defrauded were on full scholarships. The college has confirmed that these students were not required to pay any money to Cardenas.
Investigators discovered that Cardenas engaged the team in a holiday fundraiser, but shockingly, the funds raised were never deposited into the team’s bank account. Furthermore, it was found that Cardenas approached one player’s family, asking for money supposedly meant for new uniforms. However, to everyone’s dismay, the money received was never transferred to the team’s account.
According to our earlier report on Cardenas’ arrest in February 2024, the officials from the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office stated that Cardenas had embezzled approximately $28,000 in student financial aid and team fundraiser money between 2021 and 2022.
