Ex-Marine given 6 years in prison for altering checks collected for bogus veterans' fund-raiser
A former Marine on probation for a running a bogus raffle he claimed aided military families was sentenced Thursday to six years in prison for altering checks he collected while posing as a veterans' fund-raiser.
The "despicable" door-to-door fund-raising scam run last month by 44-year-old Donald McCarver again took advantage of people who thought they were donating money to help veterans and military families, DuPage County State's Attorney Joseph Birkett said.
"This is the second time that Mr. McCarver has been found guilty of taking money intended for United States veterans and their families for his own personal use," Birkett said. "It is despicable, and it's unpatriotic."
In 2006, McCarver was sentenced to four years probation after being convicted of selling phony $5 raffle tickets that purported to raise money for families of military veterans. During his sentencing, McCarver said he used the $4,500 collected during that scam to buy heroin.
On Thursday, McCarver pleaded guilty to a felony forgery charge for altering five checks he collected in Wheaton while claiming to be a fund-raiser for the Department of Veterans Affairs.
McCarver wrote his own name on the checks, then cashed them and kept the money, prosecutors said.
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Ex-Marine gets probation for running charity scam 12/31/06By Art Barnum
Tribune staff reporter
A Villa Park Marine Corps veteran
was sentenced Friday to 4 years of probation and
ordered to undergo inpatient drug treatment for
running a scam that collected more than $4,000 for a
non-existent charity to aid military families.
Donald McCarver, 41, pleaded guilty in October to
conspiracy to gamble, forgery, possession of a
controlled substance and obstruction of justice.
He faced up to 5 years
in prison.
"My initial reaction was that the scam
was appalling," DuPage County Judge George
Bakalis said at the sentencing.
McCarver and his fiance, Anne Pelligrini, 41, also of
Villa Park, were arrested in May after they posed as
military reservists to collect money from shoppers at
local supermarkets and discount stores for a purported
Navy/Marines Family Relief Fundraiser.
Pelligrini wore her Navy reservist uniform and
McCarver displayed his Marine dress coat and a shadow
box with service ribbons as they sold $5 raffle
tickets.
Pelligrini pleaded guilty in August.
She was sentenced to
180 days in jail and 24 months of probation and
ordered to perform 150 hours of community service.
McCarver was honorably
discharged from the Marines, according to a DuPage
County probation report.
He told the judge that in his final year, he was rappelling out of a helicopter when he injured his left leg, requiring surgery and treatment over the next 10 years.
He
said he became addicted to painkillers and heroin.
"On the one hand, you preyed on people's goodwill
and sense of patriotism," Bakalis told McCarver.
"However, you have contributed to our society.
Much of your addiction stems from the injury you
received in the military."
Bakalis rejected prosecutors' request for the maximum
5-year sentence.
He sentenced McCarver to 90 days of inpatient drug-abuse treatment and ordered him to pay $4,650 in restitution, equal to the amount believed to have been collected in the scam.
The money is to go to a charity that helps military families.
