Another Charity Founder Caught In Fraud

by Gary Snyder

The former CEO of Our Children's Homestead is being held  in the DuPage County (IL) Jail in lieu of $2 million bail.

Authorities said Robert Geniesse fled the country last year on the eve of a grand jury indictment for embezzling but has been returned to the U.S. from Germany. German authorities remanded Geniesse to federal agents.

Charges against Geniesse include theft over $100,000, forgery, wire fraud and using charitable trust funds for personal gain. Also a grand jury indicted him on charges of misappropriating $200,000 to finance a film company that produced two short films dealing with adoption issues.

Our Children's Homestead, the agency Geniesse helped found in the mid-1990s, arranges foster care and adoptions for children with special needs. The agency fired Geniesse in 2011, when it became aware of possible financial impropriety, according to court files. Police were alerted to the situation. (source)


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