Oregon Charity Founder Indicted for Allegedly Stealing $837K in Disaster Relief Funds to Gamble

An Oregon nonprofit founder has been indicted on allegations that he stole grant money intended to help people affected by natural disasters to fund a lavish lifestyle that included frequent trips to the casino.

The Oregon Department of Justice said a grand jury in Lincoln County indicted Marcus Brooks, the founder and executive director of the since-defunct Cascade Relief Team. While the Cascade Relief Team website has been taken down, an Instagram account belonging to the charity said it’s a “non-profit crisis-driven organization that is dedicated to empowering communities to come together in the midst of devastation.”

State prosecutors in Oregon allege that Cascade Relief was primarily founded to empower Brooks’ personal banking accounts. Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield said in a press release that instead of using grant money to help tornado, flood, and wildfire victims rebuild, Brooks stole the funds to pay for his own expenses.

Rayfield said that, as with all criminal proceedings, Brooks is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

Indictment Allegations

In 2021, the American Red Cross awarded Cascade Relief Team a $326,000 grant to build tornado shelters in Kentucky. The deadliest tornado outbreak in Kentucky history, the two days of extreme weather in December 2021 were responsible for 74 deaths and more than $4 billion in damages.  

Thousands of homes and buildings were severely damaged or reduced to rubble. Brooks took the American Red Cross money on the promise to rush to Kentucky to assist in the recovery.

Rayfield alleges that Brooks instead used the cash for his personal vehicle payments, entertainment, cash withdrawals at casinos, payments to himself, and travel unrelated to the Kentucky project.

Along with casino trips, financial investigators allege Brooks used the disaster relief money at strip clubs and a family vacation to Disneyland.

Brooks was already facing a civil lawsuit when the Oregon DOJ handed down this week’s indictment.

Along with the American Red Cross, Cascade Relief Team was awarded a $100,000 grant from the Oregon State Fire Marshal in 2020 to assist in wildfire debris cleanup and tree removal. Rayfield alleges Brooks’ charity never completed the work, and at least $6,000 was spent at casinos.

Staff Tipped State

Central Oregon Daily News reports that Brooks’ alleged theft was exposed by former employees who were laid off. The ex-staffers wrote to the Oregon DOJ notifying the agency of their belief that Brooks had his hand in the charity’s banking accounts.

Rayfield has charged Brooks with two counts of aggravated theft in the first degree. A person found guilty of such a charge faces up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000, plus restitution.