Former T.J. Martell Exec Pleads Guilty to Embezzling $3.7 Million From Charity

variety.com:

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorMelissa Goodwin, a former top executive at the T.J. Martell Foundation, pleaded guilty Tuesday to federal charges related to accusations that she embezzled $3.7 million from the charity by using company credit cards to buy Super Bowl tickets and other purchases.Goodwin entered a guilty plea to a single count of wire fraud, in which prosecutors say she abused her position of control over the charity, one of the music industry’s largest.Goodwin, who faces a maximum sentence of 20 years, will be sentenced on May 20.

She also faces a forfeiture of $3.7 million and a fine of up to $250,000, accoding to Billboard. However, she can lessen the sentence and penalty by cooperating with prosecutors.

She also is facing separate civil lawsuits from the foundation. The DOJ alleged that Goodwin, 55, used the foundation’s money to purchase expensive and rare alcohols, plane tickets, hotel stays and as part of a multimillion dollar ticketing scheme.

The Foundation has filed two lawsuits: one against Goodwin and Darran Brown, whose Executive Sports Group (ESG) and Go Charity auction companies were allegedly complicit in the fraud; and a $5 million civil lawsuit against accounting firms Kraft CPAs and Dorfman Abrams Music for breach of contract and professional negligence.The T.J.