A former Elizabethtown man, whose bicycling group raised money for the fight against childhood cancer, has been charged with stealing almost $6,000 from donations, the Lancaster New Era reports today.
Jeffrey S. Schaeffer, 40, formerly of the 300 block of North Market Street, Elizabethtown, was founder and president of a charity group called Cycling For Life, which collected money for The Four Diamonds Fund at Penn State Hershey Children’s Hospital, police said. Between February 2005 and October 2006, according to Elizabethtown Police Detective Clair Martin, Schaeffer had access to the money that had been collected and “during that time, on many separate occasions,’’ took a total of $5,929.
Schaeffer, himself a cancer survivor who now lives in Middletown, Dauphin County, had been injured at his job and was unable to work, according to Martin. Consequently, the detective added, “he was experiencing money problems and used cash or took money to buy gas.’’
When other members of the cycling group noticed discrepancies in the funds, Martin said, they tried to ask Schaeffer “who kept dodging their questions.’’
“So they went to the bank and looked at things on their own,’’ Martin said.
That’s when they discovered the problem. The members – all residents of Lancaster and Lebanon counties – went back to Schaeffer and he admitted what he had done, Martin said. He also promised to repay all the money, police said, and is in the process of making restitution.
In January 2007, Martin said, the group members contacted authorities at the state Bureau of Charitable Organizations. Then the members all resigned, Martin said, wanting to avoid any hint of impropriety. Without members, Martin said, the group has dissolved.
Schaeffer was charged with theft, a felony, and solicitation of funds for charitable purposes, a misdemeanor offense, last Friday, Martin said. He has cooperated with authorities, Martin said, and will turn himself in for arraignment and a hearing at a later date.
