by Gary Snyder
For the better part of a decade the leadership of the charitable sector has denied that there is anything called charity fraud. They refuse to talk about it, acknowledge it at conferences and suggest that that there is little documentation to substantiate all claims.
The Independent Sector, the self-proclaimed leader of the sector, through its leader Diana Aviv, has suggested that there is no problem. Well she can't say that now because her husband's organization has been hit, broadside, by a substantial fraud.
A $800,000 scheme targeting funds from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation hit the charity devoted to helping children. Aviv’s husband Speirn Sterling is the President/Chief Executive Officer and runs the Kellogg Foundation.
“Not only did those children not receive the $629,000 he directly stole, his crime had far-reaching impact, because it led WKKF to withdraw from its charitable activities in Africa,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy VerHey wrote in court documents.
The perpetrator was born in Harare, Zimbabwe and emigrated to the U.S. in 1995 as a political refugee because of turmoil in his former country. The father of two, he wanted to improve his own life and help others in Zimbabwe do the same. He did the opposite for all concerned.
His lawyer said the allegations brought against the crook “a great deal of shame.” Unfortunately most embezzlers express remorse only after facing a judge or being convicted.
