CHARITY FRAUD SCHEME LEADS TO MAN'S ARREST SCV RESIDENTS AMONG VICTIMS.

Byline: Alex Dobuzinskis Staff Writer

BURBANK - A Burbank man has been arrested on suspicion of defrauding money from hundreds of Southland residents who thought they were giving to legitimate charities - including an elderly man who donated about $300,000, officials said Monday.

Prince Isu, 28, was arrested Wednesday in a sting operation at the home of the 82-year-old Pasadena resident, where he reportedly went to pick up a $1,300 check, officials said. They said Isu is suspected of fraudulently collecting donations from the man since April 2000.

Isu was booked on suspicion of grand theft, but was released Friday when the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office declined to file charges until an investigation is complete.

``(Sheriff's investigators) presented the case ... but didn't present all the information or documents we needed to file. So we're just waiting until they complete their investigation,'' said Jane Robison, a spokeswoman for the District Attorney's Office.

Investigators believe Isu has victimized hundreds of people, mainly from the San Fernando, San Gabriel and Santa Clarita valleys.

``There's a lot of information to go over. When you're dealing with this many victims over such a large area, obviously I'm going to focus in on those that gave him a large amount of money,'' said Detective David Lingscheit of the Sheriff's Department's Commercial Crimes Bureau, Fraud Detail.

Officials said Isu called victims under the assumed names of ``Bob'' or ``Bill Evans'' and collected money for 30 to 40 charities, some of them legitimate and some of them fictional. The names of charities he allegedly collected under include: Police and Sheriff Support Group, Alternative for the Handicap, Help for the Homeless and Adolescence AIDS Foundation.

None of the legitimate charities had him listed as an authorized collector, according to the Sheriff's Department.

The suspected fraud came to the attention of authorities in July when an 86-year-old Canyon Country resident reported giving money to Isu and later having doubts about it. The Canyon Country resident and his wife reported losing $1,820.

``Initially it started out as one victim in Canyon Country up in Santa Clarita, and that was the tip of the iceberg,'' Lingscheit said.

After serving a search warrant at Isu's home, authorities recovered documents, including notebooks and journals, that indicate the alleged fraud scheme could date back to the mid-1990s.

``There's no evidence to indicate at this point that any of this money was actually used for its intended purpose,'' Lingscheit said.

Authorities contacted the 82-year-old alleged victim living near Pasadena after finding his name in bank account records uncovered as a result of the Canyon Country resident's complaint.

Isu allegedly deposited checks he collected into an account under the company name Prince Assistance Services, said Lingscheit, who added that other people could have been involved in the alleged scheme.

Alex Dobuzinskis, [phone]

alex.dobuzinskis(at)dailynews.com

CAPTION(S):

box

Box:

(ran in Valley edition only) DETECTING CHARITY FRAUD