UPDATE:
A Georgia man who had been planning a downtown Knoxville event said he is canceling it, following a 10News investigation that revealed he had a history of fraud related to fundraising efforts over several years.
In a voicemail, Jeff Manders explained why he was canceling the event :
"I understand where you guys are coming from on my past and things but that doesn't mean where the future is. I'm sorry that you guys took it that way and people around the Knoxville area took it that way, but it was a good thing and there's no way that promote it and go forward with it with negative publicity on it. So I'm going to deactivate the Facebook page and send out emails to various people of what happened and I guess move forward. I'm sorry that it happened, sorry you guys felt there was some impropriety but there wasn't," explained Manders in a voicemail to 10News.
Manders had been planning a June event in Knoxville for East Tennessee Children at World's Fair Park.
Original story:
A Georgia man convicted of fraud, theft and forgery dating back decades is seeking corporate sponsorships for a "fun-filled" June event in Knoxville for East Tennessee children.
Jeff Manders, a 46-year-old Winder, Georgia resident, has reached out to at least dozens of local businesses, organizations and media representatives, asking them to support and promote the June 4-5 “Kids Summer Kick-Off” at World’s Fair Park.
A WBIR 10News Investigation revealed Manders, who has been out of prison for a little more than a year, is trying to raise $30,000 to help cover the event, rentals and security.
“We want the support of the corporate community,” he states in his email. “Therefore, we have not set a specific level of sponsorship. We are allowing the corporate partner to bring forth a sponsorship that they believe fits them and can achieve the most exposure for their product.”
Manders told WBIR 10News that despite a criminal history that dates back to at least 1989, he is now a "changed man."
“I’ve made some poor decisions that cost in the past,” he said. “I just had to make that change.”
He said the early June event is legitimate and there’s “no improprieties at all.” He added that also at this point he has secured a number of sponsors but hasn’t accepted any money.
Some local officials, however, are wary about his motives.
A WBIR 10News Investigation uncovered Manders is using the Knoxville Chamber’s interactive business directory website to email companies.
Chamber officials said they don’t want anyone to use the site to solicit money. They have removed Manders’ event from the organization’s site.
“He continued to ask our staff some weird questions and they started not feeling great about the situation and did a background check, and we weren’t super excited about some of the things we found out about his past,” said Lori Fuller, vice president of the marketing and events division for the Knoxville Chamber.
Fuller said chamber leaders also asked the Knoxville Police Department to look into the matter.
KPD and the District Attorney General's Office confirmed that they have opened an investigation into the matter to determine if fraud may have taken place.
MANDERS: EVENT ON THE ‘UP-AND-UP’
Manders defended the event, calling it “two fun-filled days for the children.”
“If we were doing something that was not on the up-and-up we certainly wouldn’t be using any off-duty police officers from Knoxville (for security),” he said.
Knoxville police spokesman Darrell DeBusk told WBIR that KPD officers would not provide security for the event.
Still, Manders reiterated: “It’s going to be a large event – we’ve sent out 55,000 flyers in nine counties. I do a lot of things with the Boys and Girls Clubs. They’re very near and dear to me.”
Manders said he picked East Tennessee because he has a connection to two young Monroe County residents he says “are like daughters to me.”
“I’m up there all the time – going back and forth,” he said.
Manders said the event will feature 12 inflatable bounce houses, music, games and food.
Manders outlined his plans to allow parents in free and to charge $10 for children over 5 years old.
However, the event and Manders’ background have raised questions.
Manders, according to his Facebook page, said he’s an event promoter with Global Promotions out of Roswell, Georgia near Atlanta. But, the company’s Facebook page is minimal and the company’s phone number and website do not work.
A WBIR 10News Investigation found Manders is also asking those interested attending the event to pay him personally rather than go through a website created for the event, since the website does not work.
Manders has applied to the Public Building Authority of Knox County and Knoxville to rent the festival lawn at World’s Fair Park. He has until Wednesday to complete the deal or he’ll have to delay the event, PBA officials said.
He said he might push it back to June 17, since the city also has a sporting event in early June.
Knoxville Chamber event organizers also told WBIR 10 News they are concerned about Manders’ background – particularly after they looked him up on Google, which detailed a 2014 arrest.
However, court records and police reports provide more insight into his past.
A HISTORY OF THEFT, FRAUD CONVICTIONS
Manders’ criminal history, which includes long stints behind bars, dates back 25 years when a Georgia jury convicted him of fraud and eight counts of theft by deception in 1989.
During the next couple of years, he continued to ring up similar convictions throughout the Atlanta area and served more than a year for those crimes.
In the mid-1990s, according to records, he was convicted again on more theft charges in Barrow County, Ga., and again spent more time in jail.
A federal grand jury indicted him in 2003, after he allegedly bilked a Winder, Ga. bank out of $460,000 “by providing false and fraudulent documents” between 1998 and 2001, federal records show. A judge sentenced him to five years to serve and 10 years on probation.
He violated probation in 2012 and was sentenced to serve 21 months in prison, according to records.
In mid-2014, Gwinnett County, Ga. authorities charged him in connection with a used car scam he allegedly conducted through Craigslist. Gwinnett police said he received deposits for cars he never owned.
The scam received wide-spread Atlanta-area media coverage in August 2014.
In October 2014, federal authorities revoked his probation and sentenced him to serve another nine months in prison. He was released April 29, 2015, according to the Georgia Department of Corrections.
“I had some troubles and I admit to those things,” he said. “Some people – it takes a while for people to change.”
WBIR 10News will continue to investigate this developing story. If you have had contact with Jeff Manders or gave him toward the event, we want to hear from you. Please email us: 10Listens@wbir.com
DO YOUR RESEARCH
The Secretary of State's Office has tips for giving including doing your research. Director of Communications Adam Ghassemi says asking questions is an important step, "sometimes when you start asking questions, you can quickly tell based on their responses if this is an organization that you would want to contribute to."
You can find more information on verified charities and how to research before giving your money at the Secretary of State's website.