Iraq veteran charged with collecting donations and keeping it

Iraq vet charged with soliciting money for Wounded Warriors, keeping it
St. Louis Post Dispatch
By Mark Schlinkmann
4 hours ago

A wounded Iraq War veteran from St. Charles County is accused by authorities of soliciting unauthorized donations of at least $6,200 for the nonprofit Wounded Warrior organization but keeping the money himself.

The man, William Ronald Harshbarger, 34, faces 11 felony counts in St. Charles and St. Louis counties, Attorney General Chris Koster announced Wednesday morning.

"Many good-hearted people gave money to Mr. Harshbarger, believing that they were contributing to a well-established, nationally recognized charity, benefiting our nation's servicemen and women," Koster said.

Koster said his office and prosecutors in the two counties cannot stand by when anyone "collects donations, falsely, in the name of a respected organization, and then keeps the money for his personal use."

St. Charles County Prosecutor Tim Lohmar, who joined Koster at a news conference in the attorney general's downtown St. Louis office, said prosecutors had sympathy for Harshbarger's military service but that he nevertheless broke the law.

Among other things, prosecutors allege that Harshbarger received almost $750 from a three-day fundraising event at Living Word Christian School in O'Fallon, Mo., falsely indicating he was raising the money on behalf of the Wounded Warrior Project.
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