Businesses Conned in Charity Swindle

Submitted:

Tampa Police detectives are urging local businesses that were recently conned out of donation money for two police charities to come forward, according to a news release by spokeswoman Janelle McGregor.

Detectives received information that Todd Norwood solicited charitable donations from businesses under the guise of working for the National Police and Troopers Association and the Louisiana Narcotics Officers Association.

A Tampa check cashing company alerted police about the scheme after its internal audit revealed that Norwood was not affiliated with the legitimate organizations. The auditor noticed the majority of the checks that Norwood cashed at the company came from businesses located in Louisiana. He researched both associations and found that Norwood was not authorized to solicit donations on their behalf.

This is not the first time Norwood relied on the giving nature of citizens to operate this scheme, according to police. In 2010, Tampa Police officers arrested Norwood and his female accomplice for using a fund for disabled police officers to solicit donations from hundreds of Tampa businesses, including a Sweet Tomatoes restaurant.

The couple was getting ready to leave for Louisiana when officers made contact with them. They were both booked into the Hillsborough County jail on July 29, 2010, and charged with Organized Fraud, Petit Theft and Unlawful Use of a Badge. At that time, they were awaiting trial in Orlando for running the same scam there.

Detectives believe that Norwood is still preying on local businesses in Tampa. They are asking businesses that feel they were a victim of Norwood’s scam to call 813-231-6130.