The former chief financial officer of a Dallas-based charity for children was recently sentenced to five years in prison after he pled guilty to wire fraud.
Federal prosecutors accused former Child and Family Guidance Center CFO Jeffrey Scott Keehn of a scheme that stole about $2.1 million from the nonprofit from 2016 to 2023. Keehn, 55, used the nonprofit’s checking account to write fraudulent checks to himself. He falsely claimed the payments were being made to medical providers and other vendors.
Each payment was less than $10,000 because the nonprofit required payments that exceeded that amount needed to be reviewed by higher-ups. In total, he submitted about 250 checks into three different bank accounts in his name, according to court documents reviewed by The Dallas Morning News.
The nonprofit’s mission is to provide affordable mental health services to children and families.
But instead, Keehn used some of its funds to pay for his lifestyle, including covering the costs of homes in Texas and California. He also used the money to buy a Chevrolet sports utility vehicle and several precious metals.
U.S. Attorney Ryan Raybould said in a statement that Keehn’s actions were unconscionable.
“Mr. Keehn’s fraud didn’t just drain the charity’s finances; it forced them to divert time and resources away from their mission,” he said.
Keehn’s attorney declined to comment.
Keehn pled guilty to one count of wire fraud as a part of a plea agreement. During his sentencing Wednesday, he was ordered to pay full restitution. After his five years in prison, he will have three years of supervised release.