Man Sentenced To 28 Years In Prison For Taking Millions In Veteran Charity Scam

A 67-year-old man, whose true identity is unknown, was sentenced to 28 years in prison in a Ohio court on Monday for stealing $100 million in funds meant for Navy veterans.

Authorities said the man, who identifies himself as Bobby Thompson, set up the U.S. Navy Veterans Association, a charity based in Tampa, Florida. Thompson then proceeded to collect donations across 41 other states from 2002 to 2010, court records say. Most of the donations came from Ohio.

Thompson, who authorities suspect is really former Army Captain John Donald Cody, was convicted in November for money laundering, racketeering, identity theft, among other charges. He was arrested in 2012, but not before disappearing for almost two years after the Ohio Attorney General uncovered his scam, Cleveland.com reported.

Authorities say he changed his identity to Bobby Thompson in order to run the scam. Testimonies at the trial said Thompson used fake identification cards with stolen identities, and false information from charity offices, CNN reported.

In addition to 28 years, Cuyahoga County Judge Steven Gall ordered Thompson to pay a $6.3 million fine. Taking into account how the money could have really helped veterans, the judge also ordered Gall to spend every Veterans Day in solitary confinement for the entirety of his sentence, Cleveland.com reported.

Gall went on to say that Thompson's crime not only hurt veterans in need, but also damaged the trust people will have when donating to other charities.

"Everyone's afraid to give," he said, the Associated Press reported.

Joseph Patituce, Thompson's attorney, said his client denies committing any crime and they will appeal the judge's verdict. Patituce cited problems with legal representation, like limited preparation time, as grounds for an appeal, the AP reported.

Ohio has already given $101,000 of Thompson's funds to veteran charities, the AP reported. However, reports say that most of the money Thompson collected remains missing.