(CLEVELAND) – Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine announced today that a Cleveland grand jury has reindicted Bobby Thompson, the mastermind of the alleged charity scam U.S. Navy Veterans Association.
The new 24-count indictment reflects new information discovered since the previous two indictments were filed in October 2010 and December 2010. The new indictment also consolidates some charges together. Charges include engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity, seven counts of complicity to money laundering, and 12 counts of identity fraud, among others.
"Our office has worked years on this case against a man who is believed to have collected nearly $2 million in Ohio money and tens of millions more from donors in 40 other states since 2001," said Attorney General DeWine. "We have a built a solid case for a jury to ultimately decide the fate of this scammer who ripped off people who thought they were giving money to help veterans."
The true identity of Bobby Thompson remains unknown. He has refused to reveal his real name and has signed court documents in the name of "Mr. X." The Ohio Attorney General's Office stands ready to convict him under any name.
Brad Tammaro, of the Ohio Attorney General's Ohio Organized Crime Investigations Commission (OOCIC), is serving as Special Prosecutor in this case. The judge assigned to the case has not ruled on a request for Thompson's DNA sample.
Bobby Thompson will be arraigned on July 30th.
The Ohio Attorney General's Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) continues to search for more leads, including cash, in the case, after a suitcase in a Portland, Oregon, storage unit Thompson rented was discovered with $981,650 in May. In addition to the cash, multiple birth certificates and other forms of identification were discovered.
Anyone with information on Bobby Thompson's identity should contact BCI at 855-BCI-OHIO.
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