The husband-wife founders of a Peterborough, Ontario, hockey team that gives special needs kids a chance to play have been hammered with fraud charges. David Jeffrey Tuck, 52, and Catherine Elizabeth Tuck, 47, have been charged with fraud over $5,000. Cops say the couple used the Peterborough Huskies as their own private piggybank. A police release said the duo were “fraudulently obtaining and using funds for personal use” that had been donated to the non-profit team.
Aggressive fundraising for non-profits
There were few non-profits in the central Ontario city as aggressive in their fundraising. Even though the team raked in tens of thousands of dollars in sponsorships, fundraising and registration fees, it didn’t pay its bills. The Tucks, who were questioned and arrested Wednesday before being held in custody overnight, are next scheduled to appear in court on Nov. 17 at 9:30 a.m.
The allegations, fraud amounts to about $40,000
The fraud amounts to about $40,000, according to a city police source. The Huskies owe more than $3,400 for ice time to the Bewdley Community Centre. Another local business is owed more than a $1,000 and the OHL’s Peterborough Petes are owed money following an alleged broken deal. The team pledged $1,000 to the local Alzheimer’s Society — and never paid.
Read more at The Peterborough Examiner.
