40-years-old Patricia Driscoll and a former director of a veterans charity organization were found guilty for wiring money from the charity profits into her personal use.
Driscoll was found guilty of wire fraud, tax evasion, and first-degree fraud.
according to the U.S. Department of Justice Driscoll was the former executive director of the Armed Forces Foundation, a Washington-based charity formed in 2001 to promote quality-of-life for veterans and their families.
She resigned from her post in the charity in 2016 after allegations of misused funds. The charity disclosed a 2015 federal tax filing which reportedly indicated Driscoll had misspent $900,000 on personal expenses, going back to 2006.
Driscoll was found guilty in September 2016 of eight felony courts. Three of those charges, however, were dismissed before the trial concluded, according to court records.
Court records revealed that Driscoll’s spent the money on jewelry, a dermatologist, and more than $65,000 in legal fees related to domestic violence accusations against her ex-boyfriend, NASCAR driver Busch.
Prosecutors on Thursday said Driscoll engaged in a scheme in which she stole money from the charity, defrauded donors, and lied to the IRS and the public about her salary and benefits.
her attorney maintains his stand insisting that his client is innocent.
“We are very disappointed by the verdict and the government’s misconduct in this case. We will appeal,” attorney Brian W. Stolarz said in a statement. “This is not the final chapter of this story.”
Driscoll’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for March. She would face a maximum of 20 years in prison on the wire fraud charge and a maximum of 10 years for first-degree fraud. Tax evasion carries a statutory maximum of five years.
