Shocking secret of do-gooder who raised over $1million for a homeless charity By KELLY GARINO FOR DAILYMAIL.COM Published: 22:21, 12 December 2024 | Updated: 22:24, 12 December 2024 e-mail 52 View comments An Alabama woman secretly pocketed $1 million of donations that she raised for a homeless charity that didn't actually exist. Amy Dianne Elmore Downs, 57, of Athens, was arrested after a three-year investigation discovered that she solicited a substantial amount of money from people all around the world for a made-up charity aiming to help victims of domestic violence and homelessness. 'Since 2021, Downs has deposited nearly one million dollars into her personal bank accounts under the guise of charitable donations ,' the Limestone County Sheriff's Office said in a press release on Wednesday. Downs, who is better known by her since-deleted TikTok account, Slot_7.0 or Slotmachinequeen, used her social media popularity as a way to encourage her followers to send funds through her own personal finance apps. Over the course of three years, the 'do-gooder' received contributions through her PayPal , CashApp and Venmo accounts under the pretense that the money would be going to a charitable cause . She was even nominated for an award this past year that highlighted influencers who use their platform for good. 'My name is Amy, and my handle is slot 7.0,' she said during a red carpet interview with KNEKT.tv, WAFF News reported. 'I do DV help for immediate danger DV victims and homeless,' she added. Amy Dianne Elmore Downs, 57, of Athens, Alabama, secretly pocketed $1 million of donations that she raised for a homeless charity that didn't actually exist Downs, who is also a TikTok personality, used her social media popularity as a way to encourage her followers to send funds through her own personal finance apps She was even nominated for an award this past year that highlighted influencers who use their platform for good where she spoke about her 'charity' during an interview But underneath her 'good Samaritan' façade was just a years-long scam. The investigation unveiled the fact that Downs had not reported any employment since 2020 - despite large sums of money being deposited into her accounts. Additionally, investigators found no legitimate charity organization registered under her name or with the Alabama Attorney General's Office. Cherrelle Lock, the director of DV outreach at Crisis Services of North Alabama, expressed shock upon hearing the news - noting how her crisis center would never ask for donations to be made directly through a personal app. 'It's disheartening,' Lock told WAFF. 'It's unbelievable to know something like that is happening in our community. Because there are individuals in our community that could really benefit from that.' 'For those individuals in our community that support us, we make sure that we know where that funding is going toward,' she added. Downs was ultimately arrested and booked into the Limestone County Jail on seven counts of first-degree charitable fraud and three counts of tax evasion. She was placed on a bond of $1,125,000 - but she has since bonded out as of Tuesday evening. The sheriff's office urged anyone with information on Downs' fraudulent activity to come forward as the investigation is still in motion. PayPal Venmo TikTok Share or comment on this article: Shocking secret of do-gooder who raised over $1million for a homeless charity e-mail Add comment
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