More than $100,000 reported missing from Gaston County nonprofit
A nonprofit organization in Gaston County that helps cancer patients is now the focus of a fraud investigation after the discovery of more than $100,000 missing from the charity’s books.
An attorney with Cancer Services of Gaston County found that from 2019-2021, someone allegedly stole $112,500 from the center. No suspects have been identified, but fraud investigators are now poring through documents to piece together what happened to the missing money. Police say the missing money went unnoticed until about three months ago.
The nonprofit organization provides resources for cancer patients. Several survivors that spoke to Channel 9 said that while they’re frustrated, they still support the center.
“The organization has been a true blessing to me,” said DeAndrea Winchester, who utilized the center after being diagnosed with breast cancer two years ago. Winchester’s mother, Andrea Pierre, was diagnosed with breast cancer 12 years ago.
DeAndrea said they might not be here today without the organization. Both of them got nutritional supplements, underwent mastectomies, and got fitted prostheses from the center -- all of it was free of charge. Pierre said it made her “feel whole again.”
The missing $112,500 could have an impact on services provided by the center, as that accounts for nearly half of the nonprofit’s net earnings for 2019, according to tax records. Those same records indicate that the center’s total revenue in 2019 was down by about 30%, but it was steady in the two years prior.
The news was disappointing to Pierre.
Why would you choose to do something like that?” Pierre asked.
The answer to that isn’t clear. No one has been arrested, and the attorney for the center said they couldn’t comment.
The center recently announced a new executive director as the investigation continues.
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