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Sentencing delayed for charity lead who embezzled over $550K

Prosecutors have said he flew family and friends to LSU and New Orleans Saints football games on charter flights recorded as "outbound patient transport."
Credit: WBRZ-TV
The Advocate reports court documents filed Tuesday say 49-year-old John Paul Funes is charged with wire fraud and money laundering.

BATON ROUGE, La. — Sentencing has been delayed for a Louisiana hospital foundation's former fundraising chief, who was convicted this summer of stealing more than $550,000 in donations.

News outlets report 49-year-old John Paul Funes' Thursday sentencing has been pushed to Oct. 24 because of a scheduling conflict for the judge handling the case. Funes was fired as the president and CEO of the Our Lady of the Lake Foundation in November and pleaded guilty this summer to wire fraud and money laundering.

Prosecutors have said he flew family and friends to LSU and New Orleans Saints football games on charter flights recorded as "outbound patient transport." They said he also used foundation funds to buy cancer patients gift cards that he used on himself. Prosecutors said the fraud spanned from 2012 to 2018.

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