Rat panhandler uses Bible as prop, victims as cause
Mothers who have lost their children to violence are outraged that a woman has been going all over Philadelphia fraudulently collecting money in their name, says Dorothy Johnson-Speight, executive director of Mothers in Charge.
Mothers who have lost their children to violence are outraged that a woman has been going all over Philadelphia fraudulently collecting money in their name, says Dorothy Johnson-Speight, executive director of Mothers in Charge.
A $1,000 reward, contributed by a business owner who wants to remain anonymous, has been posted to catch the woman and end her cruel hoax, Johnson-Speight said yesterday.
Several months ago, "we started to get so many calls into our office" reporting the con, said Johnson-Speight, whose son was a murder victim.
Callers said that the woman identified herself as a member of Mothers in Charge and would say that she was collecting for a victim of whatever tragedy "the news was reporting that day - a kid hit by a car" or a victim's family who didn't have the money to bury him.
The woman roamed from the Northeast to Southwest Philadelphia and would provide a picture of a child whom she claimed was the alleged victim. She also carried a Bible.
"People call and tell me they give her money, $5, $10, $20," Johnson-Speight said. The woman is accompanied by a man in an SUV, she said.
Johnson-Speight emphasized that Mothers in Charge never goes door-to door seeking contributions.
Anyone who spots the woman is asked to call police and then call Mothers in Charge at 215-228-1718. The organization can also be contacted via its Web site, mothersincharge.org. *
