The holiday season puts many in a giving mood, but a Buffalo man ended up in a jail cell Tuesday morning after allegedly attempting to use that giving spirit to his advantage.
A store owner of Young Street called police after donating to a charity run for lupus after a customer in the store informed her the race took place in September. Police found Robert E. Shaffer Jr., 46, 15 Arbour Lane, Buffalo, fitting the description given and walking around the Young Street area, according to reports.
Shaffer initially tried to avoid officers and told them he was not raising money. He then changed his story to say he was fundraising for Multiple Sclerosis before admitting to asking for money to support a lupus event.
Shaffer told police he found sign up sheets for the event in the street and doctored them to show a later date so he could use them to collect money to pay his bills. The sheets showed five local businesses had signed up that morning, each donating $10. The money was returned to the business owners.
A criminal check showed Shaffer to have a conviction in West Seneca for running a similar scam in 2005. Shaffer was charged with scheme to defraud and five counts of petit larceny. He was held for court.
Contact reporter Daniel Pye at 693-1000, ext. 158.
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November 24, 2009
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