Victim's Aunt Uncovers $1.9M Fraud in Shooting Victims Fund

Uncovering the Fund Discrepancy

• 💡 Amy Sussman, whose nephew Max Hathaway was killed in the Lewiston shooting, discovered that donated funds were not exclusively going to victims.
• 📌 Sussman received a publication from the Maine Community Foundation stating that 29 nonprofits received money from the shooting victims fund, contradicting initial assurances.
• 🎯 Donors were told they could direct funds to survivors and family members, nonprofits, or split their donation 50/50, but victims were led to believe 100% of donations went directly to them.

Fund Allocation and Disparities

• 💰 Nonprofits received $1.9 million in total, with individual nonprofits receiving $65,522 each.
• ⚠️ This amount is significantly more than what some shooting victims received; survivors who were not shot received $7,000, and some who were shot received $30,000-$32,000.
• 🔍 Sussman found that some of the nonprofits receiving funds had no connection to the shooting victims, and one nonprofit permanently closed six months after receiving funds.
• 🚫 Some nonprofits were directed by individuals with a history of violence, and others had no working website or did not respond to inquiries.

Advocacy for New Legislation

• 🚀 Amy Sussman is now advocating for new legislation to protect survivors and family members from similar fraudulent schemes.
• ✅ Her mission is to ensure that tragedies like the Lewiston shooting do not lead to further exploitation of victims and donors.