Maryland Man Must Pay Restitution In Charity Fraud Case

HELENA, Mont. (AP) -- A Maryland saxophone player who sought to participate in fundraisers around the country, in part to raise money for a fake cancer charity, has been ordered to repay a Montana organization nearly $5,700.

District Judge Dana Christensen also ordered Donald "Ski" Johnson of Silver Spring to spend five years on probation, including six months of home confinement, when he sentenced him for wire fraud Thursday in Missoula.

Prosecutors said Johnson offered to perform and play in a celebrity golf tournament tied to a Big Brothers Big Sisters of Gallatin County fundraiser in July 2012, in exchange for travel and lodging costs. He also offered to donate two Grammy tickets to an auction, if half the proceeds went to his "Jazz for Life Foundation."

The tickets sold, but before the organization collected payment organizers were warned that Johnson might be scamming them.
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