Linda Greene, 73, president and CEO of Impact With Hope, a faith-based charity based in Perrysburg, Ohio, posted $5,000 against $50,000 bail. Greene’s need for bail stems from her allegedly continuing to serve as leader of Impact With Hope, including continuing to solicit funds.
That’s in violation of a 2021 indictment and subsequent court order barring her from contact with Impact With Hope personnel or funders, as well as from having any role in any of Impact With Hope’s financial dealings.
According to a Motion to Revoke Bond, Impact With Hope has continued to raise money, including soliciting funds for Ukraine- and Haitian earthquake-related causes. Greene, who is still listed as leading the organization on its website, as well as serving on its board of trustees, arrived in court voluntarily after a warrant for her arrest was issued. She was taken into custody and subsequently released after appearing before a judge. Greene has been ordered to appear in court on July 11. A call to Impact with Hope was not returned.
Greene has had five felony charges leveled against her by the Wood County, Ohio Sheriff’s Office. The charges against Greene include two second-degree felonies (two counts of prohibited acts and practices for charities) and three third-degree felonies (one count each of aggravated theft, tampering with records and telecommunications fraud).
According to the indictment filed in February 2021, the charges stemmed from actions Greene allegedly took between Jan. 1 2011 and Nov. 29, 2018. The indictment did not go into details about what Greene might have done. Language in the indictment indicated Greene allegedly disseminated media with the intent to defraud, falsified accounting records, reimbursement/receipt records or other financial records, misled donors, including donors who were either elderly or disabled, regarding the use of monies collected, used monies collected for personal use beyond the scope of charity-related purposes and deprived Impact with Hope Ministries of resources beyond the scope of the charity.
The exact amount Greene is alleged to have stolen is unclear. According to the court papers, in one count the amount of fraud was between $7,500 and $150,000, in another it was $7,500 or more, in a third and fourth it was $37,500 or more each and in the fifth it was $150,000 or more. Greene is also accused of tampering with records to hide her alleged theft of $150,000.
Greene rejected a plea deal this past August that would have reduced the two second-degree charges to third-degree charges while keeping the existing third-degree charges in place, according to the Sentinel-Tribune. At the time, her attorney held out the possibility that the state would offer Greene a deal that included time she had already served in jail.
The plea deal, which included allowing Greene to live at home, travel to pre-arranged destinations and jail time, was again proffered at Greene’s most recent hearing earlier this month. Greene again rejected the deal.
Impact With Hope has undergone several name changes due to rebrandings and mergers since it was founded in 1958 by Aaron and Jean Delph as Impact with God Crusades. In 1981, the Delph’s daughter Linda Greene became president of what was then known as Impact With God Crusades.
