Former United Way Employee Indicted for Stealing Over $400,000 in Donations

BALTIMORE, MD—A federal grand jury indicted Dorothy Shields Talbot, age 48, of Baltimore, today for wire fraud in connection with a scheme to steal at least $400,788 in donations issued to her employer, United Way of Central Maryland.

The indictment was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein and Special Agent in Charge Richard A. McFeely of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

According to the two count indictment, the United Way of Central Maryland was a non-profit charitable organization located in Baltimore. United Way received charitable donations and disbursed funds as directed by donors to support charities in the central Maryland area of Baltimore City and the counties of Baltimore, Anne Arundel, Carroll, Harford and Howard. From September 2001 until December 2010, Talbot worked in United Way’s finance department and was responsible for depositing donations into a corporate operating bank account.

The indictment alleges that in December 2004, Talbot became responsible for closing a checking account that had been used for employee activities. Instead of closing that account, however, Talbot allegedly deposited donor checks issued to United Way into that account, rather than into the corporate operating account. Talbot caused the mailing address for the checking account to be changed from United Way’s office to her home. From December 2004 to December 2010, Talbot allegedly withdrew over $400,000 of the monies deposited into the checking account, which she used for her own personal benefit.

The indictment seeks forfeiture of $400,788 or more.

Talbot faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison followed by three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Talbot’s initial appearance has not been scheduled.

An indictment is not a finding of guilt. An individual charged by indictment is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty at some later criminal proceedings.

This law enforcement action is part of President Barack Obama’s Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force. President Obama established the interagency Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force to wage an aggressive, coordinated and proactive effort to investigate and prosecute financial crimes. The task force includes representatives from a broad range of federal agencies, regulatory authorities, inspectors general, and state and local law enforcement who, working together, bring to bear a powerful array of criminal and civil enforcement resources. The task force is working to improve efforts across the federal executive branch, and with state and local partners, to investigate and prosecute significant financial crimes, ensure just and effective punishment for those who perpetrate financial crimes, combat discrimination in the lending and financial markets, and recover proceeds for victims of financial crimes.

United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein thanked the FBI for its work in the investigation and praised Assistant U.S. Attorneys Barbara S. Sale and Sean O’Connell, who are prosecuting the case.