Russell Brace, the former head of United Mid-Coast Charities Inc, a social services organization located in Maine, is facing allegations in a civil lawsuit of embezzling $3.8 million from the organization. The organization alleges that over 13 years Brace deposited millions of dollars in donations intended for the charity into bank accounts he controlled. The …
Posts Tagged: Director duties
May is for Embezzlement Convictions
Yesterday was a good reminder for charities that any organization is susceptible to embezzlement. First, a man was sentenced to three years in prison after admitting he had defrauded charities by billing them for, but not delivering, prizes to be auctioned at fundraisers. The prizes included a walk-on role on Desperate Housewives and tickets to …
Vendor Warning
Do you check references before you engage vendors for your organization’s fundraising events? If not, you should. The New York Times Haggler recently reminded us why. In a recent post, the Haggler investigated a company called CreditCardMachineRentals.com, which charged a nonprofit a wrongful late fee of $8,100 for returning borrowed credit card machines weeks late …
Horror Stories from the Trenches
With Halloween quickly approaching, now is the time to face your non-profit demons. Do you consistently lose sleep worrying whether your non-profit is operating lawfully? Do you ever wonder whether you should be doing more as a director? Stop burying your head in the sand. Instead join Arthur Rieman, managing attorney of The Law Firm …
Choose Grant Recipients Wisely
How carefully does your nonprofit’s board choose grant recipients? If you don’t know, here is a wake-up call. One Fund Boston, the 501(c)(3) established to assist victims and families affected by the Boston Marathon bombings, recently approved payment of $480,000 to an individual who is now charged with defrauding the fund. There’s good news for …
Newsletter – Lessons All Nonprofits Can Learn from the Penn State Debacle
You may ask why a law firm that represents nonprofits would write a newsletter article about the abuse scandal at Penn State University. While the scandal centered around the abuse committed by former assistant coach, Jerry Sandusky, the scandal in part occurred because of the abject failure of Penn State’s trustees to exercise their duty. …