A man who reportedly works as a musician has been accused of a criminal scheme in Florida and has apparently been convicted of similar offenses in another state. The man is a saxophone player and has been accused of running a white collar crime scam that involved a Florida hospice center in Nov. 2011. The allegations against him in Florida were not allowed to be submitted in evidence in the recent court case in another state.
The Florida incident occurred when a hospice center reportedly agreed to host an auction for two tickets to the Grammy Awards that the man had offered for the winner. The hospice officials say that it raised $12,000, $5,500 of which they gave to the foundation that the man represented. However, when the winner arrived at the Grammy Awards ceremony, she claimed that the man did not have the tickets and that he tried, but failed, to sneak her in instead.
A civil lawsuit was apparently filed by the hospice center in the case. That case was later dismissed by the court. Several other allegations have arisen against the man, asserting that he has solicited other individuals and businesses for donations in conjunction with charity events. When questioned by agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service in 2014, he is said to have admitted that he is not an award-winning musician, as claimed, and that he did use the donations obtained for personal use.
In Florida, a white collar crime might involve any number of fraudulent activities. Regardless of the circumstances surrounding an individual case, a person charged with such offenses is able to acquire legal help in the matter by consulting with a criminal defense lawyer. He or she could face serious penalties should a conviction actually be obtained in court. It is typically prudent to discuss one’s case with an attorney before proceeding to court in order to determine what options are available to work toward a positive outcome.
Source: sun-sentinel.com, “Maryland musician accused of scam in Florida convicted of wire fraud in Montana“, Chris Pizzello, Accessed on Aug. 19, 2015