Charity head charged

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Click here for a large image of the suspect.

The former director of an international children's charity has been accused with using $250,000 of the group's money for his personal use.

Police say Michael Ivey of Winter Haven took money from the World's Children Inc. to pay his mortgage and car payments and to purchase liquor, clothing and other personal items from January 2004 through May.

Ivey became director of the charity in late 2003 when his mother, who was the director, stepped aside because of illness. Investigators say that he changed the way finances were tracked and took sole responsibility for writing checks.

A bookkeeper told authorities that after Ivey took over, orphanages the charity was helping started sending letters saying they were not getting checks.

An audit revealed that Ivey's salary was highly inflated. He was supposed to earn $55,000, but the audit showed Ivey took home almost $240,000 in 2004.

Ivey resigned in May citing health problems and difficulties dealing with his mother's death. According to the arrest report, he told the board he would repay all funds overpaid to him in excess of his $55,000 annual salary.

World's Children Inc. was founded in 1965 and operates orphanages and hostels for homeless children in Mexico, Guatemala, Malaysia, Panama, the Philippines and Africa.

Ivey was charged Wednesday with one count of grand theft and one count of scheme to defraud. If convicted, he could face a maximum of 30 years in prison.

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