Mar 15, 2026
When you donate to a charity you feel passionate about, you hope it will go toward the greater good. But that’s not always the case.
Gwendolyn Westbrook, former CEO of the United Council of Human Services (UCHS) — a San Francisco nonprofit that oversees services for unhoused people — has been criminally charged with misappropriating more than $1.2 million in public funds and directly stealing $91,000. According to court documents, large sums of money are still unaccounted for.
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Westbrook was arrested on Feb. 20 and charged with nine felonies, including misappropriation of public funds, grand theft, and filing four years of false tax returns.
In addition to theft from UCHS accounts, the crimes are alleged to have been committed “through unauthorized self-payments, improper cash withdrawals and fraudulent reimbursement practices that diverted public funds for personal use,” reports The San Francisco Standard.
The case caps years of red flags raised by city auditors, including allegations that Westbrook gave shelter space to roughly 20 family members, friends and employees. She is also accused of using donations to buy a Tesla for herself and luxury vehicles for friends and family, acquiring high-priced jewelry and even helping fund in-vitro fertilization for a relative (1).
When public funds meant for society’s most vulnerable are diverted to fund executives’ lavish lifestyles, it can erode public trust in charities that do important work and follow the law.
The rise of nonprofit fraud
This isn’t an isolated incident. Non-profit organizations accounted for 10% of occupational fraud globally, with an average loss of $76,000, according to the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners. That’s lower the proportion of fraud taking place at public or private companies, or even government organizations, but still significant (2).
In the U.S., there’s been a “troubling pattern of financial mismanagement and ethical lapses” that could erode public confidence in the nonprofit sector, according to CharityWatch, an independent charity watchdog. Scandals large and small have revealed how “Charitable missions can be undermined when oversight breaks down” (3).
Some fraud at charities has been smaller in scale, but equally scandalous. Last year, for instance, the 2012-2023 president of the Colorado Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA) was found liable for civil theft, breach of fiduciary duty and unjust enrichment after diverting funds intended for youth hockey through his private company. As reported in USA Today, Randy Kanai was ordered to pay $579,000 in damages, plus court costs and attorney fees, to the CAHA (4).
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Sometimes those sums are much larger. Connie Bobo, executive director of Missouri nonprofit New Heights Community Resource Center, was found guilty in 2025 of stealing approximately $11 million from federal programs intended to feed low-income children during the pandemic.
After falsifying meal counts and fabricating invoices, Bobo claimed reimbursement from the Department of Agriculture for more than double the number of meals actually purchased. She then used the money to fund her luxury lifestyle, which included gifting $1.4 million to a romantic partner (3).
In yet another example, a Minnesota jury found Aimee Bock, founder of Feeding our Future, guilty of conspiracy, wire fraud and bribery for her role as a ringleader in a 70-person fraud scheme that stole more than $250 million from a federal child nutrition program (5).
“Feeding Our Future operated a pay-to-play scheme, where individuals seeking to operate fraudulent sites under the sponsorship of Feeding Our Future had to kick back a portion of their fraudulent proceeds to Feeding Our Future employees,” prosecutors wrote in a preview of their case, according to reporting in the Associated Press (6).
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Make your donations count
This pattern illustrates why donors should do their own due diligence before donating to a charity. But if the large organizations, and even governments, can lose so much to fraud, how can you, as a single donor, protect yourself from giving to an unscrupulous charity?
Start by doing your homework. Check the charity’s website, since many post their financials online. Be sure you’re using the correct URL, because scammers sometimes use names that are easily confused with legitimate charities.
From there, you can get more information from online resources such as Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Alliance, GuideStar, Charity Navigator and CharityWatch. Another helpful resource is the Georgia Secretary of State’s Charity Giving Tips and Red Flags*.*
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You can also contact the charity directly to ask about their programs and expenses, including salaries. And, you can search for tax-filing data for tax-exempt organizations through the IRS or see simplified versions through the data nonprofit Candid.
Be cautious when donating online or when asked to donate through social media or unsolicited emails. In particular, be sure that hyperlinks are taking you to a legitimate charity and that the money will go directly to the intended recipient.
Avoid donating to telemarketers who can’t give you detailed information about the charity — or if the caller uses pressure tactics, asks for payment in cash or insists that someone pick up your donation in person.
Beware of charities that won’t provide proof that your contribution will be tax-deductible, offer to send a courier to collect your donation or guarantee a prize such as sweepstakes winnings if you make a donation (7).
It’s a sad reality that criminals prey on people’s good intentions, but you can protect yourself by doing your homework and paying attention to red flags.
Article Sources
We rely only on vetted sources and credible third-party reporting. For details, see our editorial ethics and guidelines.
SF Standard (1); Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (2); CharityWatch (3); USA Today (4); The Associated Press (5, 6); Georgia Secretary of State (7)
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Vawn Himmelsbach is a veteran journalist who has been covering tech, business, finance and travel for the past three decades. Her work has been featured in publications such as The Globe and Mail, Toronto Star, National Post, Metro News, Canadian Geographic, Zoomer, CAA Magazine, Travelweek, Explore Magazine, Flare and Consumer Reports, to name a few.
