Finally!! Guilty on 50 Counts...Jail

by Gary Snyder

A Cape Cod woman was found guilty of stealing tens of thousands of dollars from the charity she founded to help families touched by tragedy.

Gina Clark, the founder of Touched by Angels, and her organization were found guilty of 52 counts, including embezzlement, fair labor violations and operating an illegal lottery scheme by a Barnstable Superior Court jury.

As the verdict was read, members of Clark’s family started screaming and sobbing. Clark’s bail was revoked and she was taken to the Barnstable County Correctional Facility to await sentencing set for Monday.

“This defendant victimized vulnerable families who sought her help after going through truly traumatic circumstances,” 
Attorney General Martha Coakley said. “Instead of providing these victims financial support, this 
defendant kept the money for herself, stealing tens of thousands of dollars from families in need.”

The attorney general’s office began an investigation after two former nonprofit employees alleged Clark was not giving designated amounts of money to needy families. A grand jury returned indictments against both Clark and the charity in March 2011.

Prosecutors say that between 2007 and 2010, Clark, through the charity, took in tens of thousands of dollars in donations from residents and local businesses while distributing only a small portion to families who lost loved ones or were dealing with serious illnesses. She also was accused of running an illegal raffle and not paying employees minimum wage or overtime.

Nonprofit Imperative gathers its information principally from public documents...some of which are directly quoted. Virtually all cited are in some phase of criminal proceedings; some have not been charged, however. Cites in various media: Featured in print, broadcast, and online media outlets, including: Vermont Public Radio, Miami Herald, National Public Radio, Huffington Post, The Sun News, Atlanta Journal Constitution, Wall Street Journal (Profile, News and Photos), FOX2, ABC Spotlight on the News, WWJ Radio, Ethics World, Aspen Philanthropy Newsletter, Harvard Business Review, Current Affairs, The Chronicle of Philanthropy, St. Petersburg Times, B, USA Today Topics, Newsweek.com, Responsive Philanthropy Magazine, New York Times...and many more Nonprofits: On the Brink (2006) Silence: The Impending Threat to the Charitable Sector (2011)