Friday, January 13, 2006

In the news: Audit says MS charity solicitor spent money on booze, gambling, gardening supplies

From the Salt Lake City Tribune:
The director of a Salt Lake City multiple sclerosis foundation who sold art, supposedly to raise money for MS patients, pocketed thousands of dollars for day-spa treatments, Internet gambling and liquor, the Utah Division of Consumer Protection says. At a public hearing Friday, Corinne Turner - director of the Desilynn Multiple Sclerosis Foundation and The Art of Giving gallery - was denied an application for a charitable solicitations permit because it was 'incomplete or misleading.' She was also alleged to be in violation of the state's charitable solicitations act.

Per the audit:
* Turner stated in her records that she spent about $1,700 on supplies to build wheelchair ramps. Receipts from Home Depot, however, show she actually purchased bedding plants and gardening supplies.
* Turner and her husband, Stacy Turner, used $1,600 in foundation funds to purchase a sideboard with marble top, a 75-gallon water heater and lawn services for their home.
* The Turners made about $20,000 in cash withdrawals.
* The Turners made payments to vendors unrelated to the operation of a gallery, such as Beyond Spas, Clark Planetarium, DirecTV, Les Schwab Tires, Pokernet and the Utah State Liquor Store.

Link to story in Salt Lake Tribune.

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