Volunteer accused of embezzling from bingo
YOUTH GROUP’S LOSS ESTIMATED AT $50,000
A volunteer entrusted with running a non-profit’s $1 million fundraising program will appear in court next month on charges she embezzled more than $50,000.
Charlotte M. Luciani of San Jose volunteered with Santa Clara Vanguard, a non-profit youth music organization, for 20 years and managed the group’s lucrative four-times-a-week bingo fundraisers for the past 10 years, according to court records.
According to Vanguard’s tax filings, the games pull in about $1 million a year and represent 62 percent of the group’s $1.6 million annual budget.
Because of the condition of the books, though, it is unclear how much money might be missing, according to court records.
Luciani and her attorney, Michael Nichols, declined to comment on the charges.
The money raised from the bingo games is used to finance Vanguard’s internationally known drum and bugle corps, made up of hundreds of teens and young adults from around the world. The Santa Clara Vanguard operates two drum and bugle corps that perform at field and parade competitions throughout the country each summer.
The alleged theft hasn’t affected the group’s ability to fund its programs, according to Vanguard’s General Manager Dan Vannatta.
Link: Santa Clara Vanguard
