Law enforcement is investigating PAL of Delaware finances

(Spotlight Delaware is a community-powered, collaborative, nonprofit newsroom covering the First State. Learn more at spotlightdelaware.org).

As part of the investigation, the New Castle County Police Department is probing how the nonprofit – called the Police Athletic League of Delaware – spent millions of taxpayer dollars it received in recent years, including federal COVID relief money, said the sources, who each requested anonymity due to the ongoing nature of the investigation.

The other source, who is in law enforcement, noted that Delaware Attorney General Kathy Jennings’ office has also opened an early-stage criminal inquiry into the matter.

To date, no charges have been filed in the case.

How does Spotlight Delaware determine when to use anonymous sources?

The investigation began after Longhurst resigned as executive director of the Police Athletic League of Delaware last month. Spotlight Delaware previously reported that she stepped down after the nonprofit’s cash reserves had dwindled, and after lawmakers decided in July to freeze more than $500,000 in state grants awarded to the organization just a month earlier.

The PAL of Delaware, as it’s known, had received a record-high $5 million from taxpayers in 2024, as well as hundreds of thousands more in 2025.

The money from 2024 included $1.5 million from the federal government that then-Gov. John Carney’s office had distributed as part of its COVID relief efforts.

Following Longhurst’s resignation last month, New Castle County’s police chief, Col. Jamie Leonard, became chair of the organization, replacing previous board chairman Brian Moore.

An officer within his Leonard’s department – Lt. Angela Dolan – then became the PAL of Delaware’s interim executive director, replacing Longhurst.

In an interview in August, Leonard confirmed that the PAL of Delaware had “cash-flow problems,” although he said an accountant would have to perform a detailed financial analysis to determine whether anyone had acted inappropriately.

“But, notwithstanding, here are the brass tacks … the operating expenditures outpaced the revenue,” he said then.

The PAL of Delaware is a separate entity with separate governance from the Police Athletic League of Wilmington and the Police Athletic League of Dover.

Like those other organizations and similar ones across the country, the PAL of Delaware operates athletic, arts and academic programs for children throughout the year. It does so at community center locations in Hockessin, Delaware City and suburban New Castle – settings that put children in contact with law enforcement.

Former House Speaker Valerie Longhurst resigned from her role leading the Police Athletic League. | SPOTLIGHT DELAWARE PHOTO BY JACOB OWENS

The nonprofit also has been an integral piece of Delaware’s political landscape, with elected officials regularly making public appearances at its locations.

And, up until last year, it also was one of several prominent Delaware organizations led by a state lawmaker.

That ended a year ago when Longhurst – then among the most powerful politicians in Delaware – surprisingly lost her seat representing the Bear area to now-Rep. Kamela Smith, a Democrat.

Longhurst did not respond to a request to comment for this story.