Barnstable Woman Gets 4-To-5 Years In Prison For Charity Fraud
BARNSTABLE, Mass. (CBS/AP) — A Barnstable woman convicted of stealing tens of thousands of dollars from a charity she founded to help families dealing with tragedy has been sentenced to up to five years in prison.
WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Kim Tunnicliffe reports
Barnstable Woman Gets 4-To-5 Years In Prison For Charity Fraud
Gina Clark was also sentenced Monday in Barnstable Superior Court to 10 years of probation upon release. Clark wept in court today, as the sentence was announced.
The 42-year-old Clark was convicted Thursday of 52 charges, including larceny and fraud, after a 17-day trial and 11 hours of jury deliberations.
Prosecutors say between 2007 and 2010, Clark, through her now-defunct charity Touched By Angels Inc., took in tens of thousands of dollars in donations and distributed only a small portion to families she was supposed to help.
The charity was founded to give financial assistance to families who had lost loved ones or dealing with serious medical situations.
But a jury decided she spent much of the money on herself.
"Because of Gina's behavior, I have to keep on grieving. I can't let it go," said Kim Manchuck,who lost her daughter Crystal in a car accident.
And Carol Harnois said, "You preyed on the sick and dying,and their families."
Clark wept in court, as she tried to convince the family of Crystal Manchuck that she was at the accident scene,and provided comfort to the dying girl.
" I was with your daughter, and I held her hand. It's true," said Clark.
But Manhuck's family wasn't buying it.
"She an angel all right, an angel from Hell. She doesn't deserve to be wearing a rosary with a cross," said Crystal's aunt, Mary Beth Manchuck.
WBZ-TV's Bill Shields contributed to this report
