Ex-Ballena Bay Yacht Club rear commodore charged with $224,000 scam

ALAMEDA — The former rear commodore of the Ballena Bay Yacht Club is facing criminal charges for allegedly using false information to acquire a $224,276.43 federal grant and then spending a significant amount on himself, court records show.

Nicholas Stellato, 53, is facing charges of grand theft, making a false statement on a financial form and money laundering, according to court records. He is due in court for a Feb. 27 preliminary hearing and remains out of custody while the charges are pending, court records show.

It’s not the first time Stellato has faced such allegations. He was charged in 2020, in a still-pending case, of stealing from an AIDS charity in Pennsylvania in 2015-2016, according to court records.

Board members told police that Stellato was initially a welcome addition to the small yacht club, in part because he is 6-feet 7-inches tall and could help move heavy objects for events. They made him rear commodore in 2018. As they got to know him over the years, their suspicions arose, especially in 2019 after the member of an AIDS charity in Philadelphia called the club to warn them about Stellato’s alleged theft from their charity, according to court records.

In 2019, club members suspected Stellato of $20,000 worth of embezzlement and relieved him of his rear commodore position, according to court records. Even so, and despite the warning from Philadelphia, the club brought him back onto its board in 2021, amid waining interest and struggling finances during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to court filings.

In May 2021, Stellato allegedly filed a grant application, falsely claiming that the club qualified as a restaurant or bar, and receiving $224,276.43, records show. Stellato then allegedly transferred $175,000 of the money to his own internet services company that he ostensibly started to help club members get better internet speeds during the pandemic, authorities said.

The yacht club is a nonprofit and shouldn’t have been eligible for a restaurant relief grant, authorities said in court filings.

BBYC’s CEO only learned of this through an Alameda Patch article in August 2021, which listed grant recipients. He became concerned and referred the matter to police, according to court records. Stellato was charged in May 2025.

Prosecutors allege Stellato spent $82,674 on himself, either through cash withdrawals, transfers to his account, travel/restaurant purchases, or the purchase of a Jeep. His lawyer didn’t respond to a request for comment.

A spokesperson for the club declined to comment on pending litigation, but pointed out Stellato is no longer part of BBYC.