Batavia police warn of fake military charity solicitors

Batavia police are warning people about a company soliciting money for care packages for soldiers, saying it appears it is not affiliated with any charity.

It has issued tickets for soliciting without a license to two representatives.

At 6:04 p.m. Sunday, police ticketed Ryan P. Choinski, 22, of Chaska, Minnesota, on a charge of soliciting without a permit. According to police, he admitted to soliciting money from people on the 700 block of Mandrake Drive for a company called Vision Packaging LLC.

And at 4:42 p.m. Thursday, police ticketed Clara C. Rothstein, 20, of Shorewood, Minnesota, on the same charge, in the 1100 block of Wind Energy Pass.

Police said they could not find any connections between Vision Packaging LLC and any charitable organizations. It also said it has received notices from other Chicago-area police departments that Vision Packaging LLC has been the subject of complaints for several months.

According to an April 2015 report from the Better Business Bureau of St. Louis, Choinski was affiliated with another military care-package entity based in Minnesota, Patriot Packaging Sales.

Aurora police arrested Choinski in July on charges of possession of heroin and possession of drug paraphernalia. The case is pending in DuPage County circuit court.

Batavia law requires all solicitors to register and complete a background check with the city to get a permit to conduct door-to-door sales. Permitted solicitors must wear a badge on the front of their shirt detailing the permit information.

Police encourage residents to call 911 if approached by a solicitor with no permit.