SIMI VALLEY : Police Raid Firm in Possible Fraud Case
Simi Valley police seized file drawers and bags full of documents in a raid this week on a Burbank firm suspected of representing itself as the Simi Valley Police Officers’ Assn. in fund-raising efforts, authorities said Friday.
Nine Simi Valley officers and two members of the Burbank Police Department conducted the search of Valley Fund Raisers on Thursday after an investigation linked the firm to several calls to Simi Valley residents and businesses, said Sgt. Bob Gardner.
Gardner said people began calling the department about two weeks ago to report calls made by the officers’ association on behalf of a charity seeking to find missing children. A follow-up investigation led police to the Burbank office. No arrests were made.
Thomas Galambos, owner of Valley Fund Raisers, characterized the search as police harassment and said he has done nothing wrong. He said his firm has a contract to raise money for a children’s charity but did not represent itself as the officers’ association.
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