Fundraiser for charity admits he robbed it
A former Salvation Army fundraiser with a history of fraud has pleaded guilty to robbing the charitable organization and four elderly donors of more than $300,000.
Timothy Peter Janusz, 44, pleaded guilty to 12 felony counts, including first-degree theft, forgery and money laundering.
He had previously denied all of the charges.
Janusz moved to Hawaii with his wife in 2003 after serving time in a South Dakota prison for stealing $2.2 million from an elderly Colorado couple.
Salvation Army officials in charge of the organization’s Hawaii activities said they had not known about Janusz’s criminal history.
Craig Nagamine, Janusz’s lawyer, declined to comment before sentencing, which is scheduled for Nov. 26.
Janusz, who has degrees in law and business administration, was director of planned giving for the charity in Hawaii. Police were able to recover $150,000 from Janusz, and the Salvation Army paid the donors back all their money.
Since then, the organization has revamped its procedures to require criminal background checks for who come into contact with the public.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
