Man Who Bilked Millions In Navy Charity Scam Gets 28 Years

A man convicted of running a charity scam that stole millions of dollars intended for Navy veterans was sentenced in an Ohio courtroom Monday to 28 years in prison -- including solitary confinement on every Veterans Day during that span -- the Ohio attorney general's office said.

The man, who calls himself Bobby Thompson -- but who authorities say is lawyer and former Army Capt. John Donald Cody -- also was ordered by a judge to pay more than $6.3 million in fines and more than $330,000 to cover court and prosecution costs.

The defendant was convicted in a Cuyahoga County court last month of running a telemarketing scam through his Florida-based U.S. Navy Veterans Association. Authorities have said the charity raised about $100 million from donors in 41 states from 2002 to 2010, but little went to help veterans, The Plain Dealer newspaper of Cleveland reported.
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