A con man who posed as a Dominican Republic diplomat to get cash for a fake charity, ripping off real charities along the way, was caught in his web of lies thanks to suspicious Manhattan state Sen. Adriano Espaillat. Was Espaillat tipped off when he heard the name of the charity was "The Human Fund?"
Francisco Calcano has been charged with grand larceny and criminal impersonation for allegedly raising and keeping $11,500 in the course of his three-month scam. Calcano allegedly posed as Dominican Republic Ambassador Roberto Saladin or someone from the Dominican embassy, and told victims their contributions would help ship emergency vehicles to Salcedo, a northern city in the Dominican Republic. Espaillat became suspicious of Calcano's name-dropping, did some background digging, and eventually contacted the District Attorney's office.
By that point, Calcano had already ripped several parties, including $5,000 from an orphanage in La Vega, Dominican Republic by claiming it would pay shipping costs for a UNICEF-donated bus which actually did not exist. He faces seven years in prison, as well as a particularly vicious airing of grievances next holiday season.
