Deerfield man sentenced for defrauding children's charity

A Deerfield man who once ran a charity for disabled children was sentenced to 3½ years in federal prison for defrauding the organization out of more than $800,000.

Prosecutors said 45-year-old Stuart Nitzkin started his own company that supplies goods and services to a camp with no connection to the Northfield-based charity he led. He then is accused of charging expenses from that business to the charity "knowing that he was not entitled to use" the organization's funds to pay his business expenses.

According to court records, the expenses included luxury vacations for Nitzkin and his family to Nevada, Florida, Ireland and Puerto Rico; personal golfing expenses; tickets to professional sporting events; personal medical expenses; real estate taxes for his family residence; health club dues; and household goods. Nitzkin also pocketed cash from the organization's fundraising events and took money from the charity's bank accounts through ATM and other withdrawals, prosecutors said.

Nitzkin was also accused of overpaying a catering company, operated by a "personal friend," with charity funds and misrepresenting how much the catering company had been paid.

Prosecutors said Nitzkin stole "at least $831,000" from the charity.

Nitzkin was fined $150,000 and ordered to repay the charity more than $500,000 in "remaining restitution."