by Christopher Hodapp
A former secretary of the Saladin Shriners in Grand Rapids, Michigan has just been charged with embezzling $1.39 million from the Saladin Temple's Children's Trust Fund. According to police reports, it seems Richard Ivan Williams has been siphoning off money from the Saladin Shriners ever since 2019 to buy real estate, line his own pockets, and (somewhat incredibly) to donate $275,000 to two of his college fraternities.
Because that was apparently so much more important than supporting the Shriners Children's' Hospitals or the transportation of disabled kids to facilities where they can be treated. He may be a crook, but at least he looked generous to his frat bros, I guess.
Oh. And he was an attorney at one time, so maybe he just wasn't aware of the laws. Or the definition of "trust."
According to a video report on the WOOD-TV 8 website, Williams' bail was set at a mere $10,000, which means he would only have to personally post $1,000, despite the obvious evidence that he's a potential flight risk with access to enough cash to skip town. If convicted if all six counts, he faces perhaps 20 years behind bars.
As for making restitution? As Emily Dickinson wrote, "Hope is a thing with feathers."
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