Former Treasurer Of Police Charity Pleads Guilty

Geoffrey S. Berman, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that LORRAINE SHANLEY pled guilty today to bank fraud and subscribing to false and fraudulent individual income tax returns in connection with fraudulently obtaining over $400,000 from a charity providing support to the families of New York City Police Department (“NYPD”) officers killed in the line of duty.  SHANLEY also agreed to forfeit more than $400,000 in criminal proceeds.  SHANLEY pled guilty before U.S. District Judge Sidney H. Stein.

U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman said:  “As she admitted today, Lorraine Shanley exploited the NYPD officers and employees who generously made charitable donations to support the survivors of fallen officers.  Thanks to the investigative work of the IRS and special agents from our Office, Shanley will be held responsible for her actions, and will forfeit her ill-gotten gains.”

According to the allegations in Information to which LORRAINE SHANLEY pled guilty, public court filings, and statements made in court:

For many years, from 2010 to 2017, SHANLEY served as a volunteer treasurer for a charity that provides financial support to the families of NYPD officers killed in the line of duty (“Charity-1”).  During that time period, Charity-1 received approximately $1.9 million in donations, over 99% of which came from NYPD employees, from an average of 5,500 NYPD employees per year. 

SHANLEY was an authorized signatory on Charity-1’s bank account and credit card, and was authorized to use them for Charity-1’s operations.  But SHANLEY also used the bank account and credit card to benefit herself and her family members.  From 2010 to 2017, SHANLEY fraudulently obtained over $400,000 from Charity-1’s coffers, taking money for herself and relatives, and paying for various personal expenditures such as private school tuition for her grandchild, legal services, dental bills, landscaping, and entertainment.

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SHANLEY, 69, of Staten Island, New York, pled guilty to one count of bank fraud, which carries a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison, and six counts of subscribing to false and fraudulent individual income tax returns, which each carry a maximum term of 3 years in prison.  As a condition of her plea, SHANLEY also agreed to forfeit $406,851 and to pay restitution of $406,851 to Charity-1 and $103,983 to the IRS.

SHANLEY is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Stein on December 19, 2019 at 3:00 p.m.

Mr. Berman praised the Internal Revenue Service and special agents with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for their outstanding work.

The maximum and mandatory minimum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge.

This case is being handled by the Office’s General Crimes Unit.  Assistant United States Attorney Brett M. Kalikow is in charge of the prosecution.