Collier County fallen officers charity founder arrested, accused of misusing donations

Writer: Matthew Seaver
Published: Updated:
Rosemary Zore
Rosemary Zore (Credit: Collier County Sheriff’s Office)

The founder of the Robert L. Zore Foundation, also known as Fallen Officers, has been arrested and is facing charges for soliciting charitable contributions without a license and misusing those contributions.

Rosemary Zore, 45, was arrested on Tuesday by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS), with assistance from the Collier County Sheriff’s Office.

Zore is the daughter of Robert Zore, who was a Miami-Dade police officer that died in the line of duty when she was 7 years old, according to the organization’s website.

An arrest report from FDACS says that Zore’s foundation said that the foundation was operating without a license and had received donations between 2019 and 2020.

2020 FILE PHOTO: Rosemary Zore, The Fallen Officers founder and her husband Mike Randall, Vice President of the non-profit created to honor local law enforcement and help the families of officers killed in the line of duty. Both have been arrested on charges related to the non-profit. (Credit: WINK News)

According to the arrest report, bank records from The Robert L. Zore Foundation show transactions from the nonprofit’s bank account into Rosemary Zore’s personal bank account totaling $34,938.15 during that 2019 to 2020 time period.

Additional charges were found during the review of the foundation’s bank records, including a $500 payment to Ohio child support, $100 for chiropractic services, $216 for a massage, and two pool services that cost $100, according to the report.


MORE FOR YOU


The report also says that Zore paid herself $1,500 but did not claim compensation on her taxes.

Zore is facing charges of engaging in solicitation of contributions without a license and failing to apply contributions in a manner substantially consistent with the solicitation. Both charges are 3rd-degree felonies.

Michael Aaron Randall, 52. (Credit: Collier County Sheriff’s Office)

Michael Randall is the vice president of The Fallen Officer’s Foundation and has been arrested and charged with one count of failure to register as a professional solicitor.

WINK News reached out to The Fallen Officer’s Foundation and spoke with Randall. He says they have no comment at this time.

The foundation is not unknown to the Collier County community.

In January, WINK News reported on the foundation’s efforts to build a memorial to fallen officers. In 2019, Zore’s foundation also held events to raise money and support for law enforcement.

Copyright ©2024 Fort Myers Broadcasting. All rights reserved.

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without prior written consent.