Man Gets Jail Time After Charity Fraud

Saturday, March 3rd 2007, 6:30 pm

By: News On 6

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) A man was sentenced to three years in prison on Friday on fraud charges stemming from a bogus charity that made big profits from donated cellular phones, authorities said.

Domingo Frias-Payan was sentenced in Oklahoma County District Court after pleading guilty to 11 counts of charity fraud and one count of securities fraud.

Frias-Payan was accused of swindling more than $1 million through a bogus charity, Oklahoma City-based Save a Life Give a Phone Foundation, Inc.

Attorney General Drew Edmondson said the man solicited cell phones on behalf of battered women's shelters, domestic violence victims, the elderly and disabled.

Edmondson said the alleged charity took in about 100,000 cell phones, but investigators could only find about 300 that were actually donated for charitable purposes.