Former commander of DAV chapter sued by disabled vets in Fort Lauderdale

Former commander, 91, sued by disabled vets in Fort Lauderdale
Lawsuit accuses him of secretly selling the Fort Lauderdale chapter's building

By Jon Burstein, Sun Sentinel
7:13 p.m. EST, February 21, 2012

He is a 91-year-old World War II veteran who fought in the Battle of the Bulge and served as commander of the Fort Lauderdale chapter of Disabled American Veterans.

John P. Von Schlicher is now being called something else — a thief. That's what the veterans group he's dedicated the latter years of his life to has alleged in a lawsuit.

The nonprofit Disabled American Veterans is accusing him of secretly selling the chapter's headquarters and pocketing most of the profits.

Von Schlicher said he did nothing wrong in the sale and didn't make a cent from it. He's still in shock from the allegations being leveled against him by a group he treasures, he said.

"It's criminal what they have done to me," Von Schlicher said. "I take care of my veterans. I'm proud to be a veteran. I'm not proud of some of the people who are veterans though. ... [The DAV] is a great organization, but you have some real bastards who are running it."

A Florida official for the DAV said, though, that when it came to the November 2009 sale of the chapter's Fort Lauderdale properties, Von Schlicher took care of only himself.

"Mr. Von Schlicher took it upon himself to run that chapter in a dictatorial manner and when it suited his needs, he forged a corporate resolution and somehow arranged for someone to buy the property," said Carlos Rainwater, the group's state inspector general. "He did this on his own and pocketed the money without the knowledge and authority of anyone else."
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