Woman Charged with Stealing $410K from Fallen Officer Charity

Lorraine Shanley, 68, was charged by federal prosecutors in New York with bank fraud and aggravated identity theft. She will appear Thursday in court after prosecutors said she was stealing more than 20 percent of donations to the charity Survivors of the Shield between 2010 to 2017 at least.

The treasurer of a charity that benefits the families of New York Police Department officers who are killed in the line of duty was charged Thursday with stealing more than $410,000 from the fund.

Lorraine Shanley, 68, was charged by federal prosecutors in New York with bank fraud and aggravated identity theft. She will appear Thursday in court after prosecutors said she was stealing more than 20 percent of donations to the charity Survivors of the Shield between 2010 to 2017 at least.

According to court documents, 99 percent of the donations to Survivors of the Shield come from New York police officers, and on average, 5,500 NYPD employees donate to the charity each year.

Shanley’s husband, Officer Thomas Shanley, died of a heart attack while on duty in 1986. She also serves on the board of the The New York City Police Museum, which is not officially affiliated with the NYPD and is currently closed as it relocates.

The scheme was uncovered when a new volunteer joined the organization and reviewed the charity’s tax returns and records, NBC reports.

Shanley faces a maximum of 30 years in prison with two years of mandatory prison charge for the aggravated identity theft charge alone.

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