PANAMA CITY BEACH — A Panama City Beach man was sentenced to five years in prison Thursday for using thousands of dollars in donations meant for the Wounded Warrior Project to finance his partying.
Joseph Gable Wood, 44, pleaded no contest to organizing a scheme to defraud, three counts of grand theft and five counts of petit theft, according to a State Attorney’s Office news release.
He began collecting money in February 2012 for an event called “Tour De Beach,” which he promoted as a fundraiser for the Wounded Warrior Project. State prosecutors accounted for $13,000 Wood received, but believe the total amount was closer to $20,000. On the “Tour De Beach” Facebook page, which is still active, Wood claimed to have collected about $37,000 from the event.
When sponsors tried asking Wood how much money was raised, they received no response. Sponsors then contacted the Wounded Warrior Project, and the group reported Wood made no donations. Wood told police in October that he’d been living off the donations, and had spent most of the money on social events and alcohol. He also admitted “Tour De Beach” was a scam from the beginning.
Wood posted photos of disabled soldiers and Americans flags on the “Tour De Beach” Facebook page, and reported more than 700 people attended the event. Sponsors included the Bay County Sheriff’s Office officials and local military personnel. After Wood was charged in the scam, several “Tour De Beach” sponsors used the Facebook page to express their anger.
“He took many of us for a lot of our time, took others for their money and time, and most importantly, stole (from) our nation’s heroes, the Wounded Warrior Project,” wrote Wynter Nash, of Panama City.
Ghost Rider Leather and Helmets, a Panama City clothing store, shared a similar sentiment on the Facebook page.
“It’s a shame that all of us who contributed to this event had to find out the hard way that you can’t trust everyone, no matter how authentic they may have seemed,” they wrote. “I hope this does not stop anyone in the future from donating to our veterans and other good causes. We’ll just have to make sure to check into the person in charge first.”
Wood also was sentenced to five years probation following his prison sentence, and he has been ordered to pay back the money.