“Our American veterans have dutifully served this country through many wars and deserve better than to be deprived of donations from giving donors,” Minkler said. “The acts of these fraudsters have eroded the trust and good will of those who want to contribute to legitimate fundraising organizations, including those that support our veterans,” US Attorney Josh Minkler said in a statement on Friday. The Justice Department publicly announced the charges Friday morning. Investigators say no money went toward veterans. The indictment alleges they told donors 100% of their contributions would go to veterans and their families. Linville worked with three associates to defraud more than 1,000 victims and collect more than $150,000 in traceable donations over six years, according to investigators.
He incorporated the Wounded Warrior Fund in 2011 and Wounded Warrior Foundation in 2014, which presented themselves falsely as nonprofit organizations serving veterans in Kentucky, Indiana and Ohio. The man picking up the checks from Cristiani was 44-year-old James Linville of Clark County. After a three-year investigation by the US Secret Service and Clark County Sheriff’s Office, four people were indicted February 28 by a federal grand jury. The Wounded Warrior Fund, on the other hand, was a complete scam, federal prosecutors say. The Wounded Warrior Project is a legitimate multimillion-dollar nonprofit organization with nationwide recognition that helps wounded, ill and injured veterans. But the money never made it to veterans, and instead is believed to have fueled the lifestyle of suspected crooks.
Over two years, the 69-year-old donated more than $1,000. His late father had been awarded two Purple Hearts, so when Cristiani received a call from the “Wounded Warrior Fund” asking for a donation to help Indiana vets, he felt it was his duty to give. Dan Cristiani of Clark County, Indiana, thought he was helping veterans.
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