A charity in Buford may have been lining its pockets under a false pretense as the Little Kings and Queens, a Gwinnet Count-based non-for-profit organization, was recently named as an illegal gambling business. The organization argued that it’s raising money for various charitable campaigns to help members of the community, through toy giveaways, food drives, back-to-school initiatives, and more.

Charity Begins at Home

All of this may have been just a complicated ruse to keep authorities off its back. As with most of these underground organizations operating in plain sight, police will sooner or later catch them. The illegal gambling operation was busted, Gwinnett police said in a press release detailing the incident

This has led to the arrest of Dennis Shane Maxwell, 51, the man behind the not-for-profit who will now face a felony commercial gambling and a misdemeanor charge. The charity has been going for a while, though, since February 2016 when it was officially registered, meaning that Maxwell has been around running it successfully with the police being none the wiser.

But while the charity may have been led astray, it was even more shocking to find out that the organization had been named as one of Buford’s best charities for several consecutive years, giving it an additional veneer of legitimacy while Maxwell continued to operate his underhand affairs.

The charity was outwardly committed to the needs of the community and made a range of claims that it was aiming to help a variety of community members. It sought to assist cancer patients and students, animals as well as veterans. Anything about Little Kings and Queens suggested that it was an upstanding organization in the community.

Posting Bail and Illegal Funds Seized

But it all came undone when the police conducted its raid last week and briefed the public on the real intentions behind the charity. It has all been a sophisticated guise aimed at currying public fair while ensuring that authorities would be less inclined to investigate a charity.

During the raid, police were able to locate at least $30,000 in what it described as illegal gambling funds. Equipment related to gambling was also removed from the premise. Maxwell posted bail on a $1,300 bond last Friday and is now awaiting further proceedings against him.