Trumbull County man indicted for claiming he led charity that did not exist and soliciting gifts for service members that he kept for himself

A Hubbard man was indicted in federal court for allegedly falsely representing he was the leader of a military booster club that did not exist and soliciting gifts from businesses, some of which he kept for himself.

Timothy McKenna, 58, was indicted on six counts of mail fraud.

“This man allegedly took advantage of the good will area businesses have toward the men and women who protect us and used it to enrich himself,” U.S. Attorney Justin Herdman said.

McKenna, from 2009 through November 4, 2017, mailed letters on Air Force letterhead soliciting donations from various businesses on behalf of the Youngstown Air Reserve Station, 910^th Operations Group Booster Club. The club did not exist, according to the indictment.

McKenna falsely represented that the gifts would be given away as prizes at a Christmas Ball to service members who had been deployed all year and provided vital support operations at the base. Instead, McKenna allegedly kept some of the gifts for himself, according to the indictment.

If convicted, the defendant’s sentence will be determined by the Court after review of factors unique

to this case, including the defendant’s prior criminal record, if any, the defendant’s role in the offenses and the characteristics of the violations.  In all cases, the sentence will not exceed the statutory maximum and in most cases it will be less than the maximum.

The U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations investigated the case, which is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Yasmine Makridis.

An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt.  A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.