HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) - The state accused the head of a scholarship foundation of using donations for personal expenses and said Tuesday it’s suing to shut it down.
An investigation found the Doc Hurley Scholarship Foundation has no remaining assets, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, Attorney General George Jepsen and Consumer Protection Commissioner William Rubenstein said. They are seeking unspecified penalties.
“The fact that funds intended to benefit needy scholarship recipients were apparently used to support someone’s personal lifestyle is simply unacceptable,” Jepsen said.
The foundation funds scholarships for Hartford-area high school students about to enter college.
The lawsuit accuses the foundation’s executive director, Muriel Hurley-Carter, of using donations for personal expenses, including cash withdrawals, dog day care and grooming, retail purchases and a personal trainer. The state says the foundation’s assets “have been improperly depleted, which has resulted in the cessation of its core corporate mission.”
Officials have identified $200,000 that was misspent, Jepsen said. Subpoenas that have been issued could yield information about more money that may have been taken from the foundation, he said.
Hurley-Carter, the daughter of the charity’s founder, Walter “Doc” Hurley Sr., did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment. The foundation referred questions to a lawyer, who didn’t immediately return a call seeking comment.
Hurley, a youth mentor and former high school vice principal who’s now 91, established the charity in 1975. The charity says it has awarded more than $570,000 to 550 high school seniors.
The Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, a community foundation, will administer the Doc Hurley Scholarship Fund for Greater Hartford to continue the charity’s work. When the fund reaches a minimum of $10,000, it will provide annual scholarship awards of $3,000 for up to four years to students meeting various criteria.
Linda Kelly, president of the Hartford Foundation, said it stepped in, “recognizing the tremendous work” of Hurley over the years.
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