N.J. Men Charged in Alleged 9/11 Charity Scam
May 7, 2013 | Read Time: 1 minute
Two New Jersey men were indicted Friday on charges of operating a bogus charity that solicited contributions for police and firefighters who died at the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001, the Asbury Park Press and the Associated Press report.
The New Jersey attorney general’s office said in a statement Monday that in 2011 Mark Niemczyk, 66, of Tinton Falls and Thomas Scalgione, 41, of Stafford went to 9/11-related events in a pickup truck painted with the image of the Twin Towers and the names of late police and firefighters, selling T-shirts and collecting donations ostensibly intended for the victims’ families.
According to the statement, Mr. Niemczyk and Mr. Scalgione raised more than $50,000 but gave none to victims’ relatives or 9/11 charities. The two men agreed last fall to pay $121,116 to the state to settle a civil suit brought by New Jersey authorities in 2011.
