Pat Mayer’s Death …… Aftershocks!

     When Pat Mayers, a well known crime activist and President of a group called Citizen’s Crime Alert died last May at the age of 66, most of us that knew her were shocked at her untimely death.

    
         Mayers


                                            


     But when the organization’s Vice President, Linda Gibboney, got a hold of the organizations’ financial records, a month or so after Mayer’s death, her shock and sadness turned into “just a sick feeling – all the money [in the organization] was gone”, says Gibboney.

                           Here’s the story

    
    
The Fort Lauderdale City Commission helped start the Citizen’s Crime Alert group in 1983 to help fight crime in the City by giving it $25,000 in seed money. It developed it’s mission, “neighbors looking out for neighbors, citizens being the additional eyes and ears for the Police”.

     Sometime around 2000, Mayers became the President of the group. 

     Mayers became well known as the voice of the group, and ran the organization for some years successfully, without incident. But then, according to Mayers herself, (she confided to me) things got tough for her, financially.

      At the start of 2005, the organization had over $10,000 in it’s coffers.

     I know that Mayers was in some financial trouble in November 2005, because she called and asked me for a $1000 loan to “make her mortgage”.  I did.

     About that time, according to Gibboney, Mayers began to use the organization’s ATM card for her personal use. Gibboney says (and others back up) that no one other than Mayers had access to the funds during this period, and that none of the purchases or withdrawals were for Crime Alert Business, with the exception of the purchase of crime alert signs and bank and other standard filing fees.

      Here is a chart showing the downward trajectory of the group’s funds from 2005 on.

 

     The Bank of America bank records show patterns of major ATM cash withdrawals, as well as purchases with the ATM card at grocery stores, gas stations, Home Depot, Costco, even a stop at an Italian bakery for some goodies.

     The greatest amount of pilfering took place in 2009. Here is a list of all the purchases and cash withdrawals Mayers reportedly made with the group’s ATM card that year. 



     Gibboney still seems traumatized by the travesty. She told me the story last Saturday during an area anti-crime march (ironically). I was wearing an old Citizen’s Crime Alert T-Shirt, and she was walking behind me and says she couldn’t stand it anymore, had to get it off her chest.

     Gibboney told me she went to the Police after finding out about the theft, but the Police told her there was nothing they could do, as Mayers was deceased, and there was no one to prosecute.

         

     Gibboney also went to the Mayor to let him know about the issue.

      As for me, Mayers paid me back most of the money she borrowed from me before her death. 

     Now I’m wondering if it was Citizen Crime Alert money she paid me back with!

                     ………………………………………………………….

      * ( Cal Deal prepared all the charts and graphics for this post)
      
    

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