Wednesday, February 17, 2016

Gambling and Charity Fraud

by Gary Snyder

Two more examples of charity fraud because of gambling:


 A federal court charged former NFL wide receiver Reggie Rucker with wire fraud and making a false statement to law enforcement. He allegedly took money from a charitable fund to settle gambling debts and other personal expenses. He served as executive director of the Amer-I-Can charity. Using the charity's bank account, he allegedly helped pay his mortgage in addition to paying for meals, groceries, travel expenses and dry cleaning. He is also accused of withdrawing more than $48,000 from casinos in Cleveland, Las Vegas and Tampa, Florida, and in total, paying roughly $65,000 in gambling debts from the Amer-I-Can fund. Authorities charged Rucker with taking nearly $500,000 from the charity between 2011 and February 2015. 


 The former executive director of the Miracles Club has been indicted on accusations that he embezzled $144,000 from the Northeast Portland (OR) nonprofit, then gambled away much of the money at the Spirit Mountain Casino. He has been appointed the Miracles Club's interim executive director. It's unclear when Bryant left his job as executive director. Miracles Club leaders are working to tighten controls.



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: Charity Navigator, Vermont Public Radio, Miami Herald, National Public Radio (NPR), Huffington Post, The Sun News, Atlanta Journal Constitution, Wall Street Journal (Profile, News and Photos), “Betrayal”, (a movie), NBC (on Charity Fraud…TBD), FOX2, ABC Spotlight on the News, WWJ Radio, Marie Claire, Ethics World, Aspen Philanthropy Newsletter, Harvard Business Review, Current Affairs, Charity Navigator, The Chronicle of Philanthropy, St. Petersburg Times, Board Room Insider, USA Today Topics, Accountants News, Newsweek.com, Responsive Philanthropy Magazine, New York Times, Portfolio Magazine, The Virgin Islands Daily News, NANKAI (China) BUSINESS REVIEW, National Religious Broadcasters newsletter, The Charity Governance Blog, American Chronicle, Palm Beach Post, Detroit Free Press, Oakland Press, Nonprofit World, Socially Responsible Business Forum, PNNOnline, Ohio Nonprofit Resources, Nonprofit Good Practice Guide, Nonprofit Startup Guide, Nonprofit Blog, National Coalition of Homeless Newsletter, Finance and Administration Roundtable Newsletter, MichiganNonprofit.com, CORP! Magazine, Crain’s Michigan Nonprofit, ncrp.org, PhilanTopic, Nashville Free Press, Nonprofit Law Blog, Seniors World Chronicle, Carnegie Reporter, Assoc. of Certified Fraud Examiners Examiner, msnbc.com, Worchester (MA) Telegram and Gazette, Carnegie Corporation of America, EO Tax Journal, Wikipedia: Non-profit Organizations; Parent: Wise Austin, Accountants News, Veterans Today, Answers.com, Far-roundtable, #Nonprofit Report, nonprofithelpnews, nonprofit news; National Enquirer, Northwest Herald, The HelpWise Daily, The #Nonprofit Report, Wikipedia (Nonprofit Organization), Answers.com, Nonprofits: On the Brink (2006) Silence: The Impending Threat to the Charitable Sector (2011)

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