Maryland man sentenced to 5 years after creating fake charities linked to veterans, breast cancer and childhood leukaemia and stealing over $200,000

A Maryland man has been sentenced to five years in prison for creating fake charities and stealing more than $200,000 from people who believed they were making charitable donations. James Trankle, 55, received a 60-month sentence for conspiracy to commit mail and bank fraud, along with five counts of bank fraud.Between 2013 and 2018, he and a co-defendant solicited donations for organisations claiming to support disabled and paralyzed veterans, breast cancer awareness and children with leukaemia. They then used donors’ banking details to produce counterfeit cheques. A jury found Trankle guilty, and the court ordered him to pay $204,561 in restitution and forfeit $135,327.According to the US Department of Justice, many of the people targeted by the scheme were older adults. The defendants registered the fake organisations with the D.C. Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs and opened several bank accounts in their names.Maryland man created fake charities linked to veterans and cancer supportTrankle and his co-defendant, Stephen Sibert, created the fake charities between 2013 and 2018. They registered the entities with the D.C. Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs to make them appear legitimate. These included the Disabled and Paralyzed Veterans Fund, the National Breast Cancer Awareness Fund and the Children’s Leukemia of America Fund.Trankle used a post office box in Washington, D.C., as the official mailing address for the organisations. He also opened several bank accounts in their names. The pair then mailed donation requests to thousands of potential donors across the country, asking them to send personal cheques. They obtained more than 1,600 cheques from people who believed they were contributing to charitable causes.How did the Maryland man steal over $200,000 from charitable donorsTrankle deposited the personal cheques into bank accounts controlled by him and Sibert. An analysis of these accounts showed that the pair collected more than $45,000 from people who believed they were donating to legitimate organisations.The scheme also involved copying the bank account and routing information printed on donors’ cheques. Trankle and Sibert used these details to create additional counterfeit cheques without the account holders’ permission. The cheques were made payable to their fake charities and drawn against the donors’ personal current accounts.The pair deposited these counterfeit cheques into accounts they controlled before withdrawing and spending the money on personal expenses. They deposited more than 700 counterfeit cheques worth a combined total of over $150,000.Fake charity scheme targeted donors supporting veterans and cancer causesThe organisations did not carry out the charitable activities described in their donation requests. They also did not give significant amounts of money to other charities that could have supported these causes.Trankle concealed the scheme while operating a church from his office in Maryland. The US Postal Inspection Service’s Washington Division investigated the case.A jury found Trankle guilty on May 15, 2023, following a trial in the US District Court for the District of Columbia. His conviction arose from the scheme involving fake charitable organisations, donation requests and the misuse of donors’ banking information. The victims had believed their money would support charitable causes, but the funds were instead deposited into accounts controlled by the defendants.Court sentences Maryland man for fraud involving fake veterans and cancer charitiesUS Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Inspector-in-Charge Damon Wood of the US Postal Inspection Service’s Washington Division announced the sentence. US District Judge Trevor N. McFadden ordered Trankle to serve 60 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release.The judge also ordered him to pay $204,561 in restitution and forfeit $135,327. These orders followed his conviction for conspiracy to commit mail and bank fraud and five additional counts of bank fraud.Disclaimer: This article is based on publicly available information. The Times of India has not independently verified the investigation findings, amount of money involved, charity registration details, or court proceedings mentioned. The information is based on the US Department of Justice's announcement of James Trankle's sentencing and should not be interpreted as independent confirmation.You use AI every day. Now get your AI Quotient. Take the AIQ test.