Former NBA Star, Kermit Washington, Wrongly Indicted in Charity Fraud Case by Missouri Grand Jury

COSTA MESA, Calif., May 26, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Kermit Washington has been wrongfully indicted on pending fraud related charges relating to his charity, Project Contact Africa. Washington's attorney, Karren Kenney, says her client is innocent of any fraud related conduct and characterized the indictment as a travesty.

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Circumstances of the Case
This case stems from the illegal acts of Reza Davachi, who befriended and victimized Mr. Washington through the use of the Project Contact Africa charity.  Davachi pled guilty in 2015 to his illegal conduct and admitted to setting up and controlling the ebay and PayPal accounts he created in the name of Project Contact Africa.  Reza led Mr. Washington to believe the website would be selling items for the benefit of the charity.  Mr. Washington provided sports memorabilia to be sold on the site for the benefit of the charity.  However, Davichi then proceeded to sell unlicensed pirated software to buyers, unbeknownst to Mr. Washington.  Davachi also opened credit cards in the name of "Reza Washington" and misrepresented himself as Mr. Washington to the public on shipping labels created and placed on ebay shipments for the unlicensed pirated software Davichi illegally sold.  Mr. Davichi victimized Mr. Washington who is innocent of the allegations he is now facing.

California attorney Ron Mix pled guilty to tax fraud charges related to charitable contributions to Project Contact Africa concerning his personal tax returns.  The charity was legitimate and fully functional up until it was closed earlier this year.  Mr. Mix used Mr. Washington in his capacity as the NBA Players Association liaison, to obtain clients.   As the liaison for the player's union, Washington assisted players with their needs, which included referring them to other professionals if the need arose.  Soliciting donations to his charity from players and Mix was not illegal, and the allegations against Mr. Washington concerning "Corrupt Interference with Internal Revenue Laws" are not true.  Mr. Washington also employed an accountant to file his tax returns with the IRS.  The IRS NEVER conducted any type of audit prior to the criminal investigation.  Mr. Washington has never been a saavy businessman, and his naiveté in running the charity showed in how he handled the record keeping for the non-profit during its existence.  Although Mr. Washington did not draw a salary for running the charity, he personally contributed to the programs established by the charity and the necessary expenses out of his own pocket, even up until his arrest.   

Project Contact Africa

Project Contact Africa is a charity that Mr. Washington founded in 1994 after he visited war-torn Rwanda and saw the lives of the people who lived there.  The charity set up the Ray of Hope clinic in Kenya, Africa to provide medical care to the poor.  The clinic would feed those who came to the clinic, including malnourished children.  A feeding program and school were then established due to the incredible need.  Since the inception of Project Contact Africa, Mr. Washington has gone back to Africa many times, taking care of the food, schooling needs and transportation expenses for the charity.  Mr. Washington used the funds that he received from celebrity athletes and other friends to further his charitable efforts. He has donated his time, effort, personal funds and life to a charity that he believed in, that made a difference to many people in Africa. In the twenty years Mr. Washington led Project Contact Africa, it has helped numerous children and families not only survive, but also educate themselves and open the way for a brighter future.  Although the charity was closed this year, Mr. Washington continues to personally sponsor with his own funds the children and programs that were initially set up through Project Contact Africa.

Although the United States Attorney's Office convinced a Missouri grand jury to indict Mr. Washington, he maintains his innocence.  Given the secretive, biased and unfair nature of the federal grand jury process, with no right to have a defense attorney be involved in the proceedings, the indictment is suspect.  The prosecutor controls what the grand jury hears — and doesn't — and there have been plenty of examples of overzealous prosecutors who are not interested in true justice, using the grand jury process for their own personal motives.

Media contact:
Karren Kenney
(855) 505-5588

SOURCE Attorney Karren Kenney - Kenney Legal Defense Corporation