Excerpt from ‘Call Me Commander’ by Jeff Testerman and Daniel M. Freed Jeff Testerman and Daniel Freed January 27 Call Me Commander by Jeff Testerman and Daniel M. Freed.
When Lt. Commander Bobby Thompson surfaced in Tampa in 1998, it was as if he had fallen from the sky, providing no hint of his past life. Eleven years later, St. Petersburg Times investigative reporter Jeff Testerman visited the rundown duplex Thompson used as his home and the epicenter of his 60,000-member charity, the U.S. Navy Veterans Association. But something was amiss. Thompson’s charity’s addresses were just maildrops, his members nonexistent and his past a black hole. Yet, somehow, the Commander had stood for photos with President George W. Bush, Sen. John McCain, and other political luminaries. The USNVA, it turned out, was a phony charity where Thompson used pricey telemarketers, savvy lawyers, and political allies to swindle tens of millions from well-meaning donors.
If youâve ever wondered how gumshoe-style investigative reporting works, thereâs a new primer out. Itâs about a Harvard Law grad â John Donald Cody â who orchestrated a nationwide scam that swindled millions from people in the name of a fake veteranâs charity.
Using a stolen identity, Cody billed himself as âCommander Bobby Thompson,â leader of the U.S. Navy Veterans Association. The Navy Vets claimed 67,000 members. Its tax returns pegged its fundraising totals at more than $100 million.
âThompsonâ operated the con mostly hiccup-free across 41 states for years, during which it passed at least one IRS audit. He also made hundreds of thousands in campaign donations. He had his photo taken with political luminaries such as President George W. Bush, Rudy Giuliani, Karl Rove and others.