Volunteer Treasurer Sentenced for Siphoning Funds

Volunteer worked with local organization serving Down syndrome for over ten years.  Federal reporting forms are blank, although the organization raises $160,000 a year.

The Columbus Dispatch reports on the sentencing of Jacqueline Van Almsick, the former volunteer treasurer for the Down Syndrome Association of Central Ohio (EIN 31-1126185 Form 990), who pleaded guilty to embezzlement of $173,000 from the organization from 2001 to 2006.  She received four years in prison and is required to make restitution of $143,000 that she has not already paid back.  Ms. Van Almsick had been a volunteer for over ten years and treasurer for eight of them.  She is the mother of a child with Down syndrome.  The association was founded in 1979 and serves about 800 families. 

The loss was discovered last May when a board member requested a check to be transferred to an investment account.  Ms. Van Almsick made excuses for not wanting to write the check and when confonted admitted to taking money from the organization to pay off credit card debt.  It came out at the time of her guilty plea that she was the only individual in the organization authorized to make account deposits and withdrawals. 

Not mentioned in the story is that the Form 990s filed for the organization (in 2002 and 2003) are blank except for the basic identifying information.  A box is checked indicating that the organization has less than $25,000 in income.  The news reports, however, indicated that the organization typically raised $160,000 a year in a fund raising event.   

One good idea for everyone involved with a small scale charity like this, even as a volunteer:  always check to see whether the organization has an up to date Form 990 and whether it is filled out correctly.  Organizations are required to file based on the gross take of fundraising events, not the net.  The information is available online, and if it isn't there, ask why not.  These online resources we have for charitable accountability don't do much good if no one uses them. 

(Personal experience:  I recently checked on an organization I have volunteered for for years and found to my shock that they hadn't filed since 2001 and that when the filed they hadn't been reporting on the gross income from events, which was significant.  At least in this case there didn't seem to be any money missing.  When the late filings were finally made, the IRS tried to levy penalties, but ultimately abated them.)

Comments

[バーバリーマフラー]

複数の政府関係者が明らかにした。外交安全保障政策で助言を得るためとしているが、政府の役職に野党関係者を起用するのは極めて異例だ。国会対策で焦点となる公明党との関係強化を模索する狙いもあるようだが、民主、公明両党間の正式ルートで協議した痕跡はあまり見えず、“民公”接近につながるかどうかは微妙だ。
関係者によると、高野氏の起用は、藤村官房長官が高野氏に「外交機能を強化したい」と打診した。政府高官は３日、「外交関係のアドバイザーだ。国連平和維持活動（ＰＫＯ）の問題も含め、広く意見をうかがう」と説明した。ただ、政府内にも「公明党とのパイプ強化を狙ったものだろう」との見方が強い。

[ティンバーランド]

ティンバーランド１２日に判明した政府の社会保障分野の一体改革素案（骨子案）は、来年の法案提出を検討してきた受診時定額負担制度の見送りを容認するなど、負担増を先送りしようとする民主党の主張に大幅に譲歩する内容となった。公務員の特権に切り込むことが期待された被用者年金一元化でも、公務員の優遇措置の存続に道を開く文言が盛り込まれた。「公平な負担」を旗印とした社会保障改革の看板は大きくゆがみつつある。

　ティンバーランド骨子案は、病院を訪れるたびに患者が１００円を上乗せして支払う受診時定額負担制度について「（導入見送りを掲げた）民主党ワーキングチームの報告を踏まえる」と記した。７０～７４歳の窓口負担の２割への引き上げでは「平成２４年度の対応については調整」と、その後の引き上げに含みを残したが、党側の猛反発で撤回に追いやられるのは確実な情勢だ。