Patricia Driscoll, the ex-girlfriend of NASCAR driver Kurt Busch, faces criticism for asking a charity to pay for her son’s travel to Las Vegas, among other alleged transgressions, an ESPN report finds.
Communications among the employees of the Armed Forces Foundation reveal that Driscoll had emailed the workers to ask if they would go pick up her son from school then buy him plane fare to Las Vegas where had she already gone.
But a few of the charity workers were uncomfortable with that request. “That is unacceptable. We cannot pay for his travel. Period,” one employee wrote.
Another agreed saying, “I’m sure donors would love to know that fact…. Not a good trend if there was ever an external audit.”
Yet another employee was curious how any staffer of the charity would be able to fly a child across the country just on the say so of an email exchange. The employee wrote, “He is a good kid that has a bag full of toys and games to play … IF this is such an issue then Josh please get one of the other staffers to bring [him] out to Vegas. If you are questioned [by airport security], the answer is simple. This is my bosses [sic] child and I am bringing him to her.”
But documents reveal that this wasn’t the first time that Driscoll, who was listed as president of the organization, asked employees to cover expenses for her.
The records show that Driscoll also used the charity’s bank accounts as if it were her personal ATM by getting advance funds to make personal purchases–in one case $22,438 in Moroccan rugs bought on vacation.
Driscoll also stands accused of perpetrating other instances of malfeasance as she headed the charity. A whistleblower has apparently contacted the FBI and alleged that Driscoll broke numerous laws while running the organization.
A whole seres of questions over Driscoll’s finances on such things as tax filings and personal expenses has been raised about the management of the charity, some of which could be quite serious for Driscoll if she is called on the carpet for them.
So far the foundation insists that nothing untoward had occurred and no official charges have been filed anywhere.
On Friday, Hugh Webster, the general counsel and a finance committee member of the organization, told the media that this couldn’t have happened with the checks the charity has in place.
“Our board, as well as our executive and finance committees, put in place internal controls with consultation with our outside accountants and auditors, to uphold in every way our responsibility to the organization, its donors and partners, and most importantly the veterans and their families we serve. Furthermore, in accordance with our policies and procedures, an outside audit firm reviews our accounting to ensure full compliance. We are confident in our systems and controls, even as we seek to constantly improve, which is inherent in the culture of any good organization.”
This isn’t the first time that Driscoll’s finances have become public debate. Earlier in the year she filed a domestic abuse charge against the NASCAR driver and her finances became a matter of discussion at that time, as well.
The charges never amounted to anything, though. Early in March the Delaware Attorney General’s office announced that Busch was to face no criminal charges of assault against Driscoll. On March 5 the AG’s office decided that the “evidence and available witnesses would likely be insufficient to meet the burden of establishing beyond a reasonable doubt that Mr. Busch committed a crime.”
The pair had a very rocky break up as in January, Busch called Driscoll a “trained assassin” whom he said was sent around the world to kill people. Busch even claimed he once found her in a blood splattered dress.
But Busch wasn’t alone in feeling that Driscoll is no shrinking violet. One witness even claimed he heard Driscoll saying that she would “destroy” Busch as their relationship floundered.
Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston or email the author at igcolonel@hotmail.com
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.