Former 'Giving Tree' Worker To Spend 6 Months In Prison

A former Mecklenburg County staffer found guilty of embezzling money meant to buy gifts for needy children will spend six months in prison. Cindy E. Brady was sentenced yesterday. She pleaded guilty to last summer to stealing more than $167,000 from the county's "Giving Tree" charity program between 2007 and 2009. Brady altered receipts to hide the funds she took to pay off credit card debt, among other things. "Stealing money from charity harms those in need and violates the public's trust," said U.S. Attorney Anne Tompkins in a press release announcing the sentence. "When people donate their hard-earned money to a charitable organization, they expect that their donation will go to those in need, not to pay off personal credit card debt. We will aggressively prosecute individuals who violate the public's trust and steal from the needy." The "Giving Tree" charity program came under scrutiny in early 2009 after another county employee raised questions about possible misspending. An audit found money missing. The program is now defunct. "It's disheartening to believe there are employees at charitable organizations who think they can get away with fattening their own bank accounts at the expense of those in need," said FBI Agent Chris Briese. "The public donates to these organizations thinking they're helping someone, and cases like this dampen a desire to ever help again." The Charlotte Observer reports Brady told the judge at her sentencing that she is "extremely sorry and remorseful." "My heart is extremely heavy," she said.