Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Charity Scam Stain on Navy Whites

"Man arrested in Navy charity scam" Associated Press May 02, 2012

CLEVELAND - A fugitive was arrested on accusations that he ran a scam that collected millions of dollars in donations from people who believed they were helping Navy veterans, Ohio’s attorney general and the US Marshal’s office in Cleveland announced Tuesday.

The man uses the false identify of Bobby Thompson and was indicted in Ohio in 2010 on theft, money laundering, and other charges related to the Florida-based charity. He disappeared in June 2010.

Little, if any, of the money collected by the charity was used to benefit veterans, authorities have said.

Authorities acting on a tip arrested Thompson in Portland, Ore., on Monday night, said Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine. He had multiple fake ID cards, DeWine said.

DeWine said authorities hope to have the man in Ohio in 10 days, where he will be tried in state court in Cleveland. The alleged fraud involved $100 million in 41 states, said US Marshal Peter Elliot.

The arrest closes a search dating back several years and involving a Tampa charity known as the US Navy Veterans Association.

The association made a few contributions that benefited veterans, but public records showed the man behind it contributed hundreds of thousands of dollars to political candidates around the country, former Ohio attorney general Richard Cordray said in 2010.

--more--"  

Related: Father, son indicted in kickbacks case