Florida residents might like to know about a former Milton mayor charged with tax evasion and wire fraud. The man was the director of the Santa Rosa County United Way, and he allegedly embezzled $650,000 from his employer. He pleaded guilty to the charges. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida, the events occurred over a period of several years. He reportedly took money for the organization’s business expenses and used donations that others were not aware of to pay United Way bills instead.
To protect himself, Thompson reportedly tried to prevent audits and provided false information to those involved with the United Way. The former executive director gained several thousands of dollars per year in misappropriated funds and did not report this money to the Internal Revenue Service. The IRS seized $221,000 from his bank accounts and intends to recover all the embezzled money.
News of suspected fraudulent dealings started circulating in October 2018. He was removed from his position while United Way Worldwide separated from the Santa Rosa County branch in March. The Santa Rosa County organization is no longer operational.
Many charities in the area are expected to suffer since they will no longer be getting support from the United Way. The Family Resource Center in Milton is one of these groups, and this charity provides necessities like food and clothes to young people and senior citizens in the area. The group previously received $20,000 from the United Way. White-collar crimes could bring serious potential consequences upon conviction, so people who have been charged might want to meet with a criminal defense attorney as soon as possible.
