The chairman of the Needham Parks and Recreation Commission has been indicted by a federal grand jury on fraud and tax charges after investigators say he stole more than $200,000 from a local Little League organization, allegedly using the money to pay his debts and gamble at casinos.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office of Massachusetts, 50-year-old Christopher Gerstel is charged in a 17-count indictment with 12 counts of wire fraud, two counts of filing false tax returns, and three counts of failure to file tax returns.
Federal prosecutors say Gerstel served as the Vice President of Baseball Operations for Needham Baseball and Softball from 2019 to 2025, a period during which he allegedly faced personal financial difficulties, including thousands of dollars in outstanding credit card debt…