NJ Charity Took Fraud Disney Trip, Spent $200K On Personal Expenses: AG

BRICK, NJ — New Jersey authorities have filed a lawsuit against a Brick Township charity that raised $2.5 million allegedly to benefit the families of law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty, saying its board members spent more than $200,000 on personal expenses, including trips to Walt Disney World.

The lawsuit was filed against the National Police Relief Association, along with Frank and Antoinette John, a married couple who are officers on the board, and the estate of the former board president, Michael Davis by acting Attorney General Andrew J. Bruck and the state Division of Consumer Affairs.

Davis, who authorities said has died, and Frank John had worked for the New Jersey Department of Corrections, according to the state's complaint.

National Police Relief Association reported nearly $2.5 million in contributions for 2014 through 2019, the state attorney general's office said. The complaint alleges more than $1.8 million of that went to paid fundraisers, and less than $14,000 went to the families of officers who had been killed in the line of duty from 2014 to 2020. The complaint says additional money was redirected to charities serving other purposes.

The attorney general's office alleges $208,000 in charitable funds were misused from 2014 to 2020, with Davis and Antoinette John paying themselves about $185,000 in direct payments with no apparent connection to work performed for the charity. Davis and Antoinette John also failed to disclose it as income, the attorney general's office alleges.

National Police Relief Association also is accused of spending nearly $25,000 on personal dining, automobile expenses and leisure travel for board members, including the three individual defendants, with no discernable link to its charitable purpose.

"This amount includes over $7,000 for a weeklong Walt Disney World trip for multiple board members and their adult family members," the attorney general's office said.

The attorney general's office and the Division of Consumer Affairs additionally obtained a temporary restraining order against National Police Relief Association and the Johns and the Davis estate, forcing to halt solicitation of charitable contributions and preventing them from disposing of assets in the charitable account or destroying financial records.

"The State sought these restraints in order to protect prospective donors immediately, ensure the availability of National Police Relief Association’s remaining assets, and preserve relevant evidence of the organization’s activities," authorities said.

"New Jersey’s police officers put their lives on the line for us," Bruck said. "It’s disgusting that people would raise money for fallen and injured law enforcement officers only to misuse it on themselves. We will hold accountable this so-called charity and the people associated with it."

The complaint, filed in Ocean County, alleges the improper payments and benefits to board members were about 15 times the total amount donated to fallen law enforcement officers or their families and more than double the amount directed to any charitable purpose at all.

"Donors should have confidence that a charity will use their donations consistent with the charity’s purpose and mission," said Sean P. Neafsey, acting director of the consumer affairs division. "We will continue to hold accountable those who ignore our laws and use charitable funds as their personal piggy bank."

The state seeks the return of money unlawfully obtained from members of the public, civil penalties, attorneys’ fees and costs, and an order enjoining the defendants’ unlawful practices, Bruck's office said.

The state also is asking the court to dissolve National Police Relief Association, shut down its website and affiliated online accounts, and permanently bar Frank and Antoinette John from registering or operating any charity in New Jersey.

Consumers can seek information about a charity from the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs. Visit the Division's Charities Registration page or use the Division's free "New Jersey Charity Search" smartphone app.

Consumers are encouraged to report suspicious solicitations to their local police and to the Division of Consumer Affairs by visiting its website or calling 1-800-242-5846 to receive a complaint form by mail.

Sign up for Patch alerts and daily newsletters here, or download our app to have breaking news alerts sent right to your phone. Have a news tip? Email karen.wall@patch.com Follow Brick Patch on Facebook.