Colorado Shuts Down Sex Offender Operating Fake Military Care Package Charity
A sex offender in Colorado has been busted for operating a fake military care package charity.
Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser shut down the operation but did not arrest the person behind it — Durand Kelby Tovar, 43.
Weiser’s office said in a press release, “Beginning in at least 2013, Tovar, who resides in Summit County, solicited donations by going door-to-door and asking consumers for money to buy care packages, which he claimed would be mailed to members of the military. Instead, investigators found Tovar bilked donors out of their cash for years, sending very few of the promised care packages. Tovar also failed to register his charity with the Colorado Secretary of State, or register himself as a paid solicitor, as required by state law.”
Tovar’s fake charity, First Choice Processing, claimed in promotion materials that it “annually sends 10,000 plus care packages filled with snacks, entertainment, hygiene and hand-made items, plus personal letter of appreciation to Veterans, New Recruits, and individually named U.S. services members deployed overseas.”
Weiser said that his office was unable to confirm if a single care package was sent since 2021.
“According to Tovar’s own statements to investigators, his companies had not used the distributor since at least 2017 and did not send anywhere near 10,000 care packages annually to military members or veterans. Despite continuing to solicit donations, investigators were unable to confirm if Tovar sent a single care package since at least 2021.”
“Fake charities of any kind are wrong and illegal, but it’s especially despicable for someone to take advantage of those who want to support our active-duty service members, veterans, and their families,” Weiser said. “We owe those who serve our country a deep debt of gratitude, and we will hold accountable fraudsters who defraud service members and veterans for personal gain.”
In a settlement with the Attorney General, Tovar is now permanently barred from engaging in any direct or indirect charitable activities. He also must pay a $20,000 fine “that may be used at the attorney general’s discretion for restitution, consumer education, enforcement, or to advance the public welfare.”
If Tovar breaks the terms of the settlement, he will be required to pay $50,000.
According to a report from News Channel 21, “Durand, incidentally, is a registered sex offender. He has a profile on the Colorado Bureau of Investigation’s sex offender registery and is shown on a Summit County list of sex offenders residing there. The Summit County list was last updated in December.”
The report adds, “Online public records indicate Tovar was arrested in 2017 on four felony charges of soliciting and attempting to solicit a child prostitute.”
The press release did not explain why Weiser gave Tovar such a sweet deal.
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