Stealing is Wrong

Some mothers forgot to teach their children that stealing is wrong, especially if their children are embezzling thousands of dollars out of the hands of deserving charities. This week several embezzlement scandals emerged, with the two most prominent involving a former employee of the Warren Buffet Foundation and another surrounding an aide to a New York Senator.

Clement Gardner, an aide of Senator Ruben Diaz, was initially accused of stealing $75,000 from two Bronx-based nonprofit organizations: the Christian Community Benevolent Association and Christian Community in Action. As the investigation continues, the total amount embezzled could be as high as $532,000. Gardner served as financial manager of the two organizations in addition to duties associated with Senator Diaz’s campaign.

"This criminal scheme turned a charity into a personal piggy bank," said the New York Attorney General.

Meanwhile, Dhaval Patel, a former program officer with the Buffet Foundation, currently faces up to twenty years in prison for stealing nearly $50,000 by doctoring reimbursement receipts, reports both the Chronicle of Philanthropy and Omaha World Herald.