KENAI, Alaska – An Alaskan man who ran a charity raising money to send care packages to US soldiers deployed overseas has been indicted by Alaskan authorities for using donations to fund his own lifestyle, the Anchorage Daily News reported.
Prosecutors say an employee from Alaska Veteran Outreach Boxes for Heroes (AVOBH) tipped authorities off to the alleged scam run by Frank Roach, 52, of Kenai, Alaska, last October.
"The employee believed the vast majority of the donations were not being used for shipping costs but were going to the pockets of those involved in the organization," according to a statement from the State of Alaska Department of Law.
Roach founded the charity in 2010 and solicited donations by phone and through Alaskan retail outlets, the Daily News reported Sunday night.
Prosecutors say AVOBH raised $140,000 between April and October last year -- some of which was used by Roach to pay rent, eat out and buy a TV. The donations were Roach's only source of income, prosecutors added.
AVOBH and Roach have both been charged with a range of offenses, including theft in the first degree. Roach, who is due to be arraigned on Tuesday, was indicted on nine separate counts.
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