How Could You? Hall of Shame-Alfred Schaffer

This will be an archive of heinous actions by those involved in child welfare, foster care and adoption. We forewarn you that these are deeply disturbing stories that may involve sex abuse, murder, kidnapping and other horrendous actions.

From Tampa, Florida, “a Florida fire rescue chief who earned $93,000 a year has admitted stealing more than $187,000 from a charity for orphans.
Alfred Schaffer is facing up to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty on Monday to siphoning cash from Hope Children’s Home in Tampa Bay over five years, while it struggled to make ends meet.

The 50-year-old senior firefighter, who owns a $500,000 waterfront home, was treasurer for the company which for 47 years has helped 5,000 abandoned children who had nowhere else to go.

His father Ronald founded the charity, but died last year.

The charity’s executive director, Mike Higgins, said Schaffer, who worked at the charity part-time, actually stole more than what federal authorities allege in court records, the Tampa Bay Times reported.

The figure is believed to be closer to $373,810, but federal prosecutors could only prove he stole $187,284 in court.

Higgins added if Schaffer hadn’t stolen the money, they would have been able to buy a new home for the children.
But they had to turn children away because of what happened.

In an interview with WTSP earlier this year, Higgins said at one point there was only enough funds to stay open for two weeks
‘Even though we were doing all we could I remember a time we had just a couple of weeks operating income in the bank.
‘That’s a scary thing when you have 80, 90 children. Your staff depending on the money to pay the light bill and we feed three hundred meals a day.’
The Times reported that when Schaffer was handling finances for the home between 2007 and 2011, he was taking home double his salary.

Schaffer was supposed to be making $500 every two weeks, but court records show he paid himself twice that, $1,000.

He did this buy putting one payment through an automated system and then wrote a check to himself.

In October 2011, a member of the board confronted him with the allegations and he was fired on the spot.

The charity gave him a chance to pay it back, but he didn’t, prompting them to go to the police.

On Monday Schaffer was suspended from the fire department.

Higgins says the charity has managed to stay afloat because of support for the community.

They are still looking for people to make donations on their website. ”

Florida fire chief on $93,000 a year admits stealing over $187,000 from his father’s orphan charity

[Daily Mail 12/2/15 by Wills Robinson]

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