Disgraced former Philadelphia-area sportscaster Don Tollefson is being charged with fraud after pocketing over $100,000 earmarked for charities.
According to court filings, the 61-year old Tollefson had conned more than 100 people out of more than $100,000 over the past three years, promising ticket packages to a variety of sporting events with the money going to various charities, such as the Special Olympics, the Salvation Army, and the Brad Fox Foundation, set up in the memory of a local Philadelphia police officer who was killed in the line of duty in 2012.
Tollefson has raised money for various charities for years, and complaints never surfaced until recently. Last January, Tollefson organized a fundraiser for Wounded Warriors, selling a variety of Eagles ticket packages. Buyers never received the tickets, and their credit cards were charged for Winning Ways Education, a Tollefson-run organization, rather than Wounded Warriors.
In April, Tollefson was the emcee for a 5K run organization by the Brad Fox Foundation, and he stated that half of the proceeds he raised from selling ticket packages would go to the foundation. Six months later, the foundation revealed they got nothing.
The whole situation is disgusting. The Eagles, who employed Tollefson in 2011 and 2012, distanced themselves from him, stating that the team has no affiliation with him and that he did not have permission to use their logo. In October, Tollefson admitted to canceling the trips, saying that "The trips weren’t held up to the standard they had been before" and that he was working to refund the money to the buyers, which obviously hasn't happened for most of the customers.
And the cherry on top of the whole situation? None of the five charities that Tollefson is associated with are registered, because they have failed to raise at least $25,000 per year. This entire situation is just completely disgusting, and seems like a giant scam perpetrated by Tollefson to collect more money for himself while conning people under the guise of charity.
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