Former Heinz Endowment Employee Accused Of Fraud

PITTSBURGH — (WPXI) – A former employee of Heinz Endowments is accused of laundering nearly $1 million from the philanthropic foundation. The Department of Justice announced a nine-count indictment for charges of wire fraud and money laundering against Charles A. Richardson, 45, on Tuesday. In that indictment, Richardson, who was an IT manager at the foundation, is accused of embezzling nearly $1 million between 2016 and 2024. The DOJ said he did this through a “shell corporation” he controlled and fraudulent invoices billing the foundation for work not performed or performed by other vendors. In a statement, a Heinz Endowments official says they are aware of the charges. “We referred the matter to law enforcement when we identified the alleged misappropriation of charitable assets. We have fully cooperated with the authorities in their investigation and will continue to do so throughout their legal process,” the statement reads in part. Richardson faces up to 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, or twice the pecuniary gain associated with the offense, or both.