Tennessee Man Charged In Fake Newtown Charity Case

Man Tried To Cash In On Newtown Tragedy: Cops
FILE - In this Jan. 14, 2013 file photo, white roses with the faces of victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting are attached to a telephone pole near the school on the one-month anniversary of the shooting that left 26 dead in Newtown, Conn. Newtown is taking its time to decide what a permanent memorial should look like. A commission has been hearing proposals for concepts including murals, groves and memorial parks, while looking for lessons from paths chosen by other tragedy-stricken communities. Public forums are planned for 2015, the next step in a process that is expected to last several more years. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill, File)
FILE - In this Jan. 14, 2013 file photo, white roses with the faces of victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting are attached to a telephone pole near the school on the one-month anniversary of the shooting that left 26 dead in Newtown, Conn. Newtown is taking its time to decide what a permanent memorial should look like. A commission has been hearing proposals for concepts including murals, groves and memorial parks, while looking for lessons from paths chosen by other tragedy-stricken communities. Public forums are planned for 2015, the next step in a process that is expected to last several more years. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill, File)

By Richard Weizel

MILFORD, Conn., Feb 18 (Reuters) - A Tennessee man who U.S. prosecutors contend set up a fraudulent charity tied to the 2012 massacre at a Newtown, Connecticut, elementary school will face wire-fraud charges, federal officials said.

Robert Bruce, a 34-year-old personal trainer from Nashville, will be indicted in U.S. District Court in Hartford, Connecticut, on six counts of wire fraud on Monday for what prosecutors contend was a scheme in which he collected an unspecified amount of donations intended for victims' families and school safety that he spent on himself.

Adam Lanza, 20, killed 26 children and educators in the December 2012 shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown before turning a gun on himself.

"This arrest serves as a warning to anyone who attempts to profit from the tragedy at Sandy Hook," U.S. Attorney Deirdre M. Daly said.

Federal prosecutors said Bruce collected the money through an online payment service and spent most of it on himself and his personal training business, rather than on the charity, as he promised. Authorities declined to provide the total amount collected by Bruce.

The charity solicited donations through athletic events, such as one in New Hampshire, a "Schools 4 Schools" run, and another in Tennessee called "Cross Fit Cares."

Bruce promoted the events via social media, and solicited contributions through an online account by telling potential donors the purpose of the events was "to help raise funds for increased school safety, families of victims, memorials to teacher heroes, awareness and prevention in schools across America," federal prosecutors said.

Bruce could face up to 20 years in prison on each count if convicted. He could not be reached for immediate comment. (Editing by Scott Malone and Doina Chiacu)

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Connecticut State Police Release Sandy Hook Report

Sandy Hook Elementary School Shooting

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