Former Make-a-Wish CEO Arrested for Stealing Money for Sick Children From Charity

The former head of a charity for sick children has been arrested on three felony charges, accusing her of embezzling tens of thousands of dollars from the Make-A-Wish charity, which is a charity known to support sick children. This was confirmed by the group on Friday, according to Des Moines Register report.

Jennifer Woodley, 40, was held in custody at the Polk County Jail in Des Moines on Thursday two counts of first-degree theft. She was also arrested for unauthorized use of a credit card. Woodley was the released on bond. This was according to criminal complaints documents unsealed on Friday.

Woodley's Case

Police said that the bonus cost the organization $15,540. Woodley was added to a list of legitimate bonuses earned by other employees.

Woodley also made 84 unauthorized purchases on an organization credit card for her personal use, which amounts to a total of more than $23,000 over a span of 10 months, according to the filed complaint.

Meanwhile, the former CEO did not reimburse the group for those expenses. The organization noted last summer that it had discovered financial irregularities during a compliance review. Woodley was then dismissed after serving as a president and CEO for just over one year.

The Iowa group is one of 60 chapters of Make-A-Wish America, which focuses on providing support and memorable experiences for children with critical illnesses and their families. Amy Nesbitt, whose daughter was diagnosed with leukemia, said that the accusations against Woodley are disheartening.

"Taking advantage of all the family and friends, volunteers and companies that are donating their time and effort to make this happen for these families, it's honestly just sickening," Nesbitt was quoted on a Crime Online report.

Nesbitt said Make-A-Wish Iowa offered to send her family to Walt Disney World. However, the trip has been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Make-A-Wish Iowa Board Chairman Dave Farnsworth said that Woodley was quickly terminated from her position and were notified once the problems were discovered last July.

Farnsworth said that they thank the Urbandale Police Department for its investigation into this breach of Make-A-Wish's ethical standards and policies.

He added that they will continue to cooperate with law enforcement, saying that they have an obligation to safeguard every dollar that was given to the organization.

In online court records, no attorney was listed for Woodley. Each charge she receives is a class C felony that holds up to 10 years in prison.

Make-A-Wish

Make-A-Wish Iowa has a yearly budget of $4 million, with a staff of 16 employees and is governed by a 17-member volunteer board.

During the suspect's administration, the chapter granted its 4,000th wish for a child. The organization said that it planned to grant about 170 wishes for children per year.

Woodley's new address is at Winston Salem, North Carolina, according to kail records list. Woodley's husband, Matt Woodley, is an assistant basketball coach at Wake Forest, The couple has had two daughters who have to undergo brain surgery.

One of their daughters received a Walt Disney World through Make-A-Wish Iowa before Woodley was in the CEO position of the organization.