Leonard F. Pickell Jr., former president of the New York City-based James Beard Foundation, has pleaded guilty to stealing tens of thousands of dollars from the culinary charity over the past decade and faces a prison term of five to fifteen years when he is sentenced on March 23, the New York Times reports.

In an appearance in State Supreme Court in Manhattan, Pickell, 50, admitted taking more than $50,000 of the charity's money between 1995 and last March. According to the state attorney general's office, which prosecuted the case, Pickell admitted using Beard Foundation checks to cover personal credit card debts, forging documents used to claim reimbursement of expenses, taking money from petty cash. His lawyer, Stacey Richman, denied his admission of any specific charges. "He devoted his life to this organization," said Richman. "His personal expenses got mixed up with professional ones, but now he wants to spare the foundation any more pain."

A spokesman for the attorney general's office said there would be no further prosecution of Pickell, who served as president of the organization from 1994 until his resignation in September. The attorney general's charities bureau is continuing its civil investigation of the organization, which had revenues of $4.7 million in 2003 but awarded only $29,500 in scholarships, considered one of its central roles.

Despite the recent negative publicity surrounding the case, Beard House continues to host activities promoting American cuisine and chefs, and support for the organization is strong. "I would not remain involved if I didn't think the organization does a good job of educating Americans about food and wine," said Gordon Hamersley, featured chef at an upcoming Beard event. "Len Pickell was a bad apple who took advantage of his position."