Tennessee Man Sentenced for Defrauding Contributors to Sandy Hook Charities

SANDY HOOK, CT — Deirdre M. Daly, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced Friday that Robert Terry Bruce, 35, of Overland Park, Kan., formerly of Nashville, Tenn., was sentenced today for defrauding contributors to an organization he established after the December 2012 school shootings in Newtown, according to a release.

According to court documents and statements made in court, in the aftermath of the December 14, 2012, Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings in Newtown, Bruce founded the 26.4.26 Foundation who solicited charitable donations for a variety of purposes, including “to help raise funds for increased school safety, families of victims, memorials to teacher heroes, awareness and prevention in schools across America.”

In early 2013, prosecutors said he solicited and received contributions to 26.4.26 in connection with a charity athletic event in Gilford, N.H., called the Schools 4 Schools run. He promoted the event via social media, and solicited contributions to 26.4.26 through an online PayPal account by representing to potential donors that the purpose of the event was “to help raise funds for increased school safety, families of victims, memorials to teacher heroes, awareness and prevention in schools across America.”

In early 2013, prosecutors also said that Bruce solicited contributions to 26.4.26 in connection with a charity athletic event in Tennessee called CrossFit Cares where he promoted the event via social media, and solicited contributions to 26.4.26 through PayPal by representing to potential donors that “all proceeds will go to the 26.4.26 Foundation” and that the “mission of 26.4.26 is to provide funding for the families of victims, memorials for teacher heroes and to increase safety in schools across the country.”

Instead of using all of the donated funds to support his purported mission, prosecutors said that he used $28,657.31 of donated funds to support his personal training business. Bruce was ordered to pay restitution to the Sandy Hook Special Revenue Fund, administered by the Newtown Board of Selectmen.

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