'We can get in a lot of trouble for this': New details in high school football controversy

MARTIN COUNTY — William Vega was an assistant chief for the Port St. Lucie Police Department when he was accused of helping facilitate fraudulent leases and giving personal information to three parents, who used that to improperly fulfill requirements allowing their children to enroll and play football at Martin County High School, records show.

When a Florida Department of Law Enforcement investigation into Vega, his brother, Port St. Lucie Police Sgt. Robert Vega, and others became public last year, William Vega reportedly met with one of the parents, Jose Soto, and asked if he "could not say much and to keep him (William Vega) out of it.”

“‘We can get in a lot of trouble for this,’” William Vega, 51, is quoted as saying to Soto in a complaint affidavit used to obtain William Vega's arrest warrant.

William Vega told Soto he was facing a misdemeanor, but the investigators were looking for William Vega and were going to ask questions about him, according to that document.

These are among details in records obtained by TCPalm supporting the arrests of the Vega siblings and others in what the FDLE described as “a scheme to falsify records to allow high school football athletes to attend and compete for schools outside their residential boundaries.”

Eight people were arrested last week and face multiple charges, including felonies, which can carry jail time.

The Vega siblings had served as volunteer coaches for the Martin County High School football team.

Robert Vega, 48, and his wife, Nixalys Vega, 46, both of whom were arrested last week and have an address listed in Port St. Lucie, are accused in efforts to get their son registered through the Martin County School District. The teen enrolled at Martin County High School as a freshman and was a backup quarterback. He played starting quarterback in several games of the season beginning in fall 2022. He then enrolled in a private school in Palm Beach County.

Of the eight defendants, only Nixalys Vega has an attorney listed with the Martin County Clerk's Office as of Tuesday. Her listed attorney is Jerome Stone. Stone could not immediately be reached.

Accusations detailed

The FDLE probe began last year following a request by former Port St. Lucie Police Chief John Bolduc. Bolduc got an anonymous complaint alleging the Vega siblings “used the addresses of current and former (Port St. Lucie police) officers to fraudulently claim the students lived in the Martin County School District … when they did not, in violation of state statutes.”

From TCPalm Prepzone football: Why would records need to be falsified if the state has controlled open enrollment?

School research: Martin County High School volunteer coaches had clean background checks

Investigators determined six Martin County High School football players and at least one parent of each were involved.

Three parents — Lisa Stone, 47, Guilnar Saintelus, 40, and Soto, 43 — “either directly implicated, or through associated evidence, William Vega, in the aiding, abetting, and counseling the parents regarding the furtherance of various crimes related to the scheme…” court records state.

Six parents filed fraudulent official documents with the school district in Martin County that violated a perjury admonishment on the documents, records show.

On several registrations, the parents reportedly “used forged and fraudulent lease agreements as proof of residency,” records state. Six parents and one student changed addresses on their driver licenses to fraudulent addresses with the state Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles.

The three Vegas, Stone, Saintelus, Soto, Nancy Davino, 48, and Jeron Atwater, 41, face charges.

William Vega retired May 31 from the Port St. Lucie Police Department after more than 25 years in law enforcement, and while the FDLE investigation and an internal police investigation were in progress.

Sgt. Robert Vega is on administrative leave without pay, police said.

Highlights of Florida Department of Law Enforcement investigation

FDLE investigators requested Martin County High School enrollment forms for players on the Martin County High School football team for the previous five years.

Lisa Stone, in a December 2022 meeting with investigators at her home in Fort Pierce, said she wanted her son to attend Martin County High School. She said she called William Vega, whose listed address is in Port St. Lucie, and asked whether he knew someone she could rent from so she could live in Martin County.

Stone said her two other sons went to Fort Pierce Central High School in St. Lucie County, but they “had trouble being noticed by colleges." She said her oldest son was a good football player and had good grades, but she felt he didn't get noticed because he played for Fort Pierce Central, records state.

In paperwork supporting the arrest of Stone and William Vega, investigators outlined a conversation with at least one person whose name is redacted from arresting documents. A man said that in May 2022, William Vega asked whether the man still lived in Martin County, and he said he did.

William Vega told him an underprivileged young man wanted to go to Martin County High School, and Vega wanted to know about the man subletting a room to the student.

“We’re kinda running outta time,” William Vega is quoted as saying.

The person didn’t answer either way about the student using his address.

In September 2022, following media reports of the investigation, William Vega wanted to meet in person.

At one point the conversation turned to “whether (redacted) would be questioned by law enforcement about William (Vega) getting kids into a football program. William (Vega) yelled out, ‘Don’t say football!’ (Redacted) remained undeterred, citing that the entire problem was rooted in football. William (Vega) repeated his admonition not to use the word ‘football.’”

In the case against Robert Vega and his wife, investigators alleged Robert Vega got a fraudulent address to register his son in the school district through a coach on the Martin County High School junior varsity football team, records show. That coach is a volunteer who no longer is involved with school athletics, according to Jennifer DeShazo, schools spokesperson.

An uncle of the coach said his nephew approached him and asked if a person could use his address so that person's son could play football for Martin County High School.

The uncle told investigators he met Robert Vega in Palm City, and Robert Vega produced a lease agreement with his information filled out.

According to investigation records, the uncle thought it was to allow the boy to play football with friends, and play with a specific team. The uncle didn’t think it would allow the boy to unlawfully attend classes at another school district.

Grand theft charges were levied in most of the cases. The defendants who allegedly did not live in Martin County or pay taxes in Martin County got the benefit of their children attending Martin schools, records state.

Investigators determined an estimated cost to Martin County taxpayers of about $3,637 per student a year to attend school in Martin County.

'Emergency landing' of plane: No injuries as pilot lands in field in western St. Lucie County

SLC economic development official dies: Jennifer DuBey was 'force to reckon with,' inspiration to others

Will Greenlee is a breaking news reporter for TCPalm. Follow Will on X @OffTheBeatTweet or reach him by phone at 772-267-7926. E-mail him at will.greenlee@tcpalm.com

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Records shed light on Martin County High School football scandal