Federal officials say a Washington, D.C., man has been charged with wire fraud for allegedly setting up a false crowd-funding account to raise funds for the funeral of a slain federal security guard.
Federal prosecutors said Wednesday that 27-year-old Dominic Deandre Gregory allegedly created a GoFundMe campaign the day after Patrick Underwood was killed.
Underwood, 53, was a federal protective service officer who was fatally shot and his partner was wounded as they guarded the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building in Oakland.
Gregory claimed he was related to Underwood and pleaded for financial support to cover funeral expenses, setting a fundraising goal of $90,000 on the website, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
He also posted pleas for funds for Underwood’s wife and kids.
But the slain officer was not married and he had no children, officials said.
If convicted of the charged, Gregory faces a maximum statutory sentence of 20 years in prison, a three-year term of supervised release and a $250,000 fine, officials said.
