Attorney General's News Release

June 11, 2007

Joplin man who placed fake Special Olympics collections boxes in businesses sentenced to four years in prison

Joplin, Mo. — A man who placed bogus collection boxes for Special Olympics in Joplin-area retailers in 2005 was sentenced today to four years in prison on each of two counts of merchandising practices fraud in Jasper County Circuit Court. The sentences for Robert L. Winters (DOB - 5/29/42) are to run concurrently, and were the result of criminal charges that were jointly filed by Attorney General Jay Nixon and Jasper County Prosecuting Attorney Dean Dankelson in December 2005.

According to Nixon, the defendant and his brother Darrell Winters, along with another man, William Bowman, placed bogus collection boxes soliciting funds for Special Olympics in various shops in the Joplin area. He represented to the retailers that money collected in the boxes would be turned over to Special Olympics, but then did not pass on the collected funds to the charity. Winters was arrested by Joplin police on Dec. 5, 2005.

Nixon filed a civil lawsuit against Darrell Winters and Bowman in January 2006, and is still prosecuting the civil case against Darrell Winters. Bowman entered into a settlement in October 2006 in which he agreed to pay $1,000 to the Attorney General's office to pay for the costs of the case and to donate $500 to Special Olympics.

Overall, Nixon's office investigated reports of as many as 200 fake collection boxes placed in other Joplin retailers as well as in northeast Oklahoma and southeast Kansas.

Inquiries from consumers should be directed to consumer@ago.mo.gov or 1-800-392-8222 (from within Missouri) or 573-751-3321 (outside Missouri).

All media inquiries should be directed to the Press Secretary.

E-mail      Phone: 573-751-8844         Fax: 573-751-5818