To somewhat set the record straight:
The DJCSF was a legitimate, well-intended enterprise set up to provide for private education for underprivileged children of Jersey City -- not a scheme perpetrated by Thomas M. Kelly.
The DJCSF did, in fact, raise and apply funding for several children to attend local private schools.
As far as I know, all funds raised by the DJCSF are fully accounted for and Mr. Kelly did not in any way abscond with any monies raised by the DJCSF.
The circumstances that led to the relationship between the DJCSF and the CEF are complex but suffice to say that this relationship was also well-intended.
I am not aware of the specifics of Mr. Kelly\'s guilty plea nor am I aware of the basis for Mr. Conti\'s article. However, Mr. Kelly\'s guilty plea should not tarnish the significant efforts of the many committed people involved in the DJCSF.

I believe it's the same person. Can anyone corroborate?

Even though the article refers to the man who hit all those cars as "Tim", everyone called him by the name "Tom".

I'm 75% sure it's the same person.

Quote:

The fraud article says "Thomas Kelly". The crash article says "Timothy Kelly". Which one is it?

Quote:

I'm sorry your dad is in jail. Seriously. My son would be upset if I wound up in the hut again. But collecting money for personal use with nothing to show would be rather obvious. Distributing a couple payouts, no matter how much these "couple of kids" lives' were changed, is nothing more than either "covering your tracks" or "plausible deniability".

This is the same guy who crashed into 6 or 7 cars in front of the Light Horse Tavern on Halloween.

Check this article out.

http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/20 ... er_plows_into_cars_m.html

nice guy.

Well maybe if this a$$ hadn't stolen public funds, we'd know of more than a couple kids that benefitted. He's a crook. Sounds like a complex and intentional act. He said he's guilty. Let him rot.

Well, I know a couple of kids who received scholarships and who's lives were changed because of DTJCSF. Thats one the things that aren't mentioned here.

Yea? I'd like to hear what you know.

I don't know where you guys get your information from, but this is not what happened.

Pleads to diverting funds meant to educate poor kids

Thursday, August 06, 2009
By MICHAELANGELO CONTE
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

A Jersey City man has pleaded guilty to stealing funds meant for children's education by defrauding a school district that deposited $53,000 into his Downtown Jersey City Scholarship Fund to buy curriculum materials, officials said.

Thomas M. Kelly, who pleaded guilty to one count of fraud on July 28, was executive director of the nonprofit New York-based Community for Education Foundation when he formed the DJCSF, according to the federal indictment.

The fund's stated aim was providing scholarships to students from low-income families so they could attend private schools, but federal officials say it was part of a scheme Kelly used to line his pockets.

In October 2007, a public school district described only as being not in the state of New York, contacted the CEF and ordered $53,100 in curriculum materials, the indictment says.

But on Nov. 27, 2007, Kelly sent a fax from the CEF office telling the school district to deposit the money instead into the DJCSF account, falsely telling them it was a CEF account, the indictment says.

The DJCSF was not recognized as a tax-exempt organization, did not have its own tax identification number and Kelly set up and controlled the account and used the funds in the account for his personal benefit, the indictment says. Of the $53,100 deposited, Kelly was charged with diverting $38,000 to himself, the indictment says.

Federal officials could not provide the name of the school district last night nor could they say if the curriculum materials were ever provided to the district.

A spokeswoman for the Jersey City Department of Education said last night that she did not know if the Jersey City school district is the one referred to in the indictment but that she would try to find out.

Kelly pleaded guilty in federal court in Manhattan before District Court Judge Denise L. Cote, and she is scheduled to sentence him on Oct. 30 at 2 p.m. The statutory maximum sentence faced by Kelly is 20 years in prison.

Kelly pleaded guilty to the second count of a two count indictment. The first count charged him with organizing a dinner at a restaurant in Jersey City to benefit the DJCSF, resulting in $55,000 being deposited into that account.

The first count alleged that between April 2007 and February 2008, Kelly diverted most of the $55,000 to himself and a person described only as "Individual -1," the indictment said.

Kelly did not plead guilty to the first count of the indictment, and it is expected to be dismissed at his sentencing.