A woman who served as treasurer of a charity that supports the families of New York Police Officers who are killed in the line of duty allegedly stole $410,000 for her own personal benefit, according to a criminal complaint.
For seven years, 68-year-old Lorraine Shanley acted as treasurer of the nonprofit, Survivors of Shield, and the charity received $1.9 million in donations during that time. Most of the donations came from an average of 5,500 NYPD employees per year, according to a Department of Justice statement.
During that time, Shanley stole $410,000 for her own personal use, such as dental work, landscaping, school tuition, and tickets to see Barbra Streisand in concert, prosecutors alleged. She even used money from the charity to pay for her son’s criminal defense.
Lorraine Shanley spent $8,000 on event tickets, including $1,400 for a Barbra Streisand concert, among other personal expenditures, according to prosecutors https://t.co/F7ObDTtdLU
— NYT Metro (@NYTMetro) March 21, 2019
On Thursday, March 21, Shanley surrendered to federal prosecutors and was charged with bank fraud and identity theft. She was released on a $100,000 bond, according to the Wall Street Journal.
United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Geoffrey S. Berman, said in the Department of Justice statement that Shanley “capitalized on tragedy and monetized people’s generosity.”
He added, “As alleged, Shanley stole over 20 percent of the donations to a charity whose sole mission is to help the families of NYPD officers killed in the line of duty.”
The complaint said that Shanley spent $29,000 for her grandchild’s private school tuition, $32,000 for dental services, $25,000 for landscaping, and more than $1,400 to see Barbra Streisand in concert.
Lorraine Shanley, former treasurer of Survivors of the Shield, allegedly used money she stole from the charity to pay for Barbra Streisand tickets, legal fees for her son and other personal expenses https://t.co/sChIcIpriC
— The Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) March 22, 2019
NYPD Deputy Commissioner for Public Information, Phillip Walzak, told NBC of the accusations: “If true, these allegations constitute deep violation of the trust of those who generously donate to help police families going through heartbreaking tragedy.”
As treasurer, Shanley was authorized to use the charity’s bank account and credit card to pay for operating expenses. However, she forged another official’s signature on $45,000 in checks she wrote to family members and herself, according to the complaint.
She also spent $63,000 for legal services related to criminal charges against her son, Thomas Shanley, 40, who is currently serving time for a 2014 fatal hit-and-run of a human rights activist, reported the Journal.
Charity Hicks, 1969-2014. She was a leader in Detroit’s struggle for the basic human right to water. Read about her. pic.twitter.com/dInOdwgjmX
— ashley yates (@brownblaze) November 24, 2015
At the time, the activist, 45-year-old Charity Hicks, was visiting New York from Detroit for a conference. She was a founder of the Detroit People’s Water Board who fought to keep water flowing from the Great Lakes to low-income Detroit neighborhoods and campaigned for environmental and social justice, according to New York Daily News.
Thomas Shanley was texting on his phone behind the wheel when he crashed into a pole for a bus stop that fell onto Hicks. He was on parole for a drug possession conviction and abandoned his wrecked car and fled the scene on foot. Hicks passed away from her injuries a few weeks later.
Shanley’s husband, Officer Thomas Shanley, died of a heart attack on the job in 1986, according to The New York Times. Shanley’s Twitter profile indicates that she comes from a family of police officers and also attends NYPD events regularly.
Congratulations to my Nephew Chris Tulloch Cop of the Month, pictured sister Jenna & Dad Bruce pic.twitter.com/0UVt1PP8Uu
— Lorraine Shanley (@lshanley15) September 6, 2017
“She betrayed the trust of the organization,” Kathleen Vigiano, the charity’s board president and retired city police officer, told the New York Times. “We have widows who have been on a pension since the Sixties and it’s not that high. And that money could have gone to the kids’ educations, the special needs kids, the college kids.”
Shanley faces a possible 30 years in prison.
Congratulations Commissioner Perez on your retirement! pic.twitter.com/naXKZkMGbh
— Lorraine Shanley (@lshanley15) October 30, 2017
