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Wounded Vet Fundraiser Caleb Pritt Accused of Pocketing DonationsSeveral thousands of dollars were raised but the charity never saw a cent of that money.Related Content
Anchorage police are investigating a man who claimed to be raising money for a veteran’s charity. Caleb Pritt claimed the funds were going to help Diane Benson’s son, Latseen, who lost both legs in Iraq. Pritt is a former campaign manager for Diane Benson who last year was the Democratic nominee for lt. governor of Alaska.
The charity called “A Home For Our Vets” builds specially adapted homes for disabled vets and is in the process of completing one for Latseen Benson in Colorado. Diane Benson says she was thrilled when she heard Pritt was willing to do a fundraiser for the veteran’s charity. “He said a ‘Homes For Our Troops’ fundraiser would be great if I wanted to do it,” says Benson. “And I said that would be wonderful. He said he would take care of everything and I thought ‘great!’” True to his word, Pritt held the fundraiser in mid-August at Mad Myrna’s. By all accounts they raised over $3000 but the charity says they never saw a cent. Amber Sawyer is a friend who helped handle the money at the fundraiser. “Really the only part that Caleb had any control over was who the checks were made out to,” says Sawyer. “Caleb had us tell people to make them out to him instead of the organization.” Sawyer says the explanation was so that Caleb could combine all the funds and present one big check to the charity but again, the charity says they saw no money at all. Sawyer says she’s sure now that Pritt took it himself. That theory is backed up by journalist Linda Kellen Biegel who knows both Pritt and Benson. Biegel says Benson asked her to investigate when Pritt refused to answer questions about where the money had gone. Biegel says she asked Pritt if he had sent the checks to the charity and he insisted that he had. Since then she’s discovered that he actually cashed the checks himself at a local bank and left the state. Now everyone involved in the fundraiser feels cheated especially Benson. “It’s bad enough to have it happen at all,” says Benson. “But to have it happen with someone you thought you knew and to have it happen where they are using your child’s injuries to bait people to contribute is beyond the slap in the face.” |
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Marcel Proust said on Wednesday, Sep 21 at 11:30 AM
To whomever wrote this article; Caleb Pritt is also known as Andrew "Drew" Pritt. He has a similar history of con artistry in Arkansas.
74146304geuli said on Wednesday, Sep 21 at 12:50 PM
post his picture so everyone can know how he looks like!
74150761Angry Vet said on Wednesday, Sep 21 at 1:03 PM
When you have to use my fellow disabled vets to further your own greed its a downright treason to me. We hear that Caleb is back in Arkansas now and I sure hope someone is making calls to every charity and church to warn them before they get the bitter sting of lies and dishonor that Caleb has so many times done before. He was charged with a felony for check fraud in 1999 and has used Ms. Bensons credit card for fraud in the past. Once a con-man always a con-man
74151477AlaskanAmber said on Wednesday, Sep 21 at 2:12 PM
http://www.bentalaska.com/2011/09/homes-for-our-troops-money-from-the-fundraiser-was-lost/ This has a photo as well as a bit more details on the story.
74154879Luce said on Wednesday, Sep 21 at 3:18 PM
Look up the blog post about him on Bent Alaska where there is a picture of him.
74157613John said on Thursday, Sep 22 at 10:46 AM
I had past dealings with him and I know for a fact he has had a fraud arrest in Arkansas years before this plus an arrest in West Virginia.
74200027Elle said on Thursday, Sep 22 at 12:01 PM
This guy has been around for a long time....his list of moral and legal offenses in Arkansas is very long. Apologies to Alaska.
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