From WOOD COUNTY PROSECUTING ATTORNEY PAUL DOBSON
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost and Wood County Prosecuting Attorney Paul Dobson announced on Friday that a Wood County Jury convicted Linda Greene, 74, former CEO of the international charity organization Impact with Hope, on charges of Tampering with Records, Prohibited Acts Involving Charities, Solicitation Fraud, and Aggravated Theft.
The Tampering and Theft charges are felonies of the third degree, subjecting Greene to potential three years in prison each. The Solicitation Fraud charge is a second degree felony, exposing her to eight years in prison. The Prohibited Acts charge is a misdemeanor of the first degree, carrying a six-month jail sentence.
Greene was the founder and CEO of Impact with Hope, formerly ISOH/Impact, which generated large sums of money for international relief as well as the hosting of international children requiring medical attention which they could not receive in their home countries.
The charity maintained “The Lighthouse,” a property in Perrysburg on the Maumee River where Greene lived. Occasionally, she would host these children at her home. Greene used charity funds for much of her living expenses, paying for clothing, food, manicures, hair styling, etc. with charity funds. Greene maintained the property through the same funds, including a pool, pond, meditation garden, and other luxuries.
Investigators testified that Greene paid her personal credit card bills with charity funds and even reimbursed herself for purchases made with the charity’s credit card, causing the charity to pay for the items twice.
The trial testimony demonstrated that Greene took funds which had been donated for specific purposes, such as for the children and for a prospective project called “The Hope Center” and used them for her own purposes. In total, investigators testified to over $400,000 in funds that Greene had misappropriated.
During the pendency of the case, Greene had been ordered by the court to disassociate herself from the charity. She had repeatedly been brought back before the court for violations of that order, as she continued to run the charity and solicit funds and services on its behalf.
Ultimately, Greene was jailed by the court on a cash bond for her failure to follow the court orders. She was also ultimately ordered to vacate The Lighthouse.
In announcing the conviction, Dobson said, “I am extremely proud of the time, effort, and dedication which has been shown by the prosecutors and investigators who have worked so diligently for so long on this case. … This office has always worked hard to bring to justice those who would diminish the good work of charities everywhere by converting the funds trustingly put in their hands by good-hearted citizens to their own gain. To use the money of hard-working people to live in the lap of luxury for free and to take even more is indefensible.”
In addition to Prosecutor Dobson, Attorney General Dave Yost commented “This case is the perfect example of why oversight for the charitable sector is imperative, as a passive board and poor internal controls can be a disaster for a charity,” Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost said. “We’re proud to partner with the Wood County Prosecutor’s Office and the Ohio Department of Public Safety to bring justice and stop this woman from lining her own pockets.”
Sentencing has been set for Oct. 12 at 9 a.m. before Wood County Common Pleas Judge Joel Kuhlman. In the meantime, Greene remains free on bond. The orders for her to have no contact with the charity remain in force.
