(In brief:) Gina Clark ran the charity Touched by Angels, raising money for local accident victims & the critically ill. The organization was effective with fundraising: working with regional groups and businesses, soliciting funds from private donors in the community with true stories of local need and hardship.
A problem emerged: numerous people claimed to not have received their expected funds (link). Perhaps simple ingratitude, but many loud voices shouted scam. Ultimately, Gina Clark was arrested and charged dozens of crimes, including larceny by embezzlement, fraud, and more. Outside her arraignment, her lawyer Seth Roman (of Wilkins and Deyoung, Hyannis) stated "This is a witch hunt!" The charity is no longer operating.
Last week, Gina Clark was arrested (link) for shoplifting. She is accused of hiding assorted items worth $1093.89 down at the base of her shopping cart, paying $190.09 for merchandise on the top layer, and leaving a Kohl's department store with stolen goods. She reportedly claimed to the arresting policeman "That was not my cart, and I didn’t know how the items got in there." Such a defense might have been believable, although fingerprints or CCTV video might show if she'd handled the items. At a subsequent court appearance, her lawyer reportedly claimed something different, the shoplifting was a mere "misunderstanding" - Gina simply forgot about some items in her cart.
The public is left to wonder. Is it at all believable that someone selects nearly $1300 of goods, pays less than $200, and notices nothing? Is this lawyer's job simply to say whatever might potentially defend his client? One is left feeling the community system is hopelessly dirty & corrupt.
2011-05-05 fraud arraignment (link to YouTube video)
