Man Gets 3-Year Term in Phony Charity Scheme
A La Verne man was sentenced to three years in prison Thursday for running a phony charity fund-raising scheme that reportedly netted him $180,000.
Prosecutors said that Dominic Abate, 56, claimed in telephone calls to businesses and residents that he was seeking donations for either the “Blind Children of America” or the “Veterans Assn.”
But neither organization had official approval to solicit funds, and there was never any record of how the donated money was spent, authorities said. Abate, who pleaded guilty to felony theft on May 15, had faced a maximum five-year prison term.
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