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PROVO — Police said a Provo man who raised money for a local street vendor has finally handed over the funds.
Tracy Salazar decided to raise money for Consuela Sanchez, a tamale vendor in the area. Sanchez is caring for her sick husband, selling tamales for $1.30 each. But Sanchez didn't get the money for two months.
Salazar set up an account on Go Fund Me.com in January, with a $5,000 goal. The money was supposed to go to 76-year-old Sanchez. Her meager income was being divided between family members in need, so customers were eager to help.
Although Salazar promised to give the money to Sanchez, she didn’t see a dime of it for over two months. The nearly 800 people who donated to the fund started asking questions. He explained he was setting up a trust fund for Sanchez, so she did not send all the money to her family in Mexico.
“You’re assuming in good faith that they’re going to do what they say they’re going to do, what they say they’re going to do with it,” donor Kylie Patterson said. “We don’t want to paint him as a criminal.”
Comments on the website called it a scam and a fraud, and begged people not to donate. Provo Police had been investigating the situation for several weeks. They talked to Salazar and told him if he didn’t hand over the charity money soon, there would be consequences.
“If that money doesn’t make it to her, and he used it for his own gain, that’s communications fraud and we will go after him,” said Lt. Matt Siufanua of the Provo Police.
Salazar said at this point, he doesn’t care what Sanchez does with the money.
"The people with big hearts give her money, and then she’s going to be able to use it for her own good,” Salazar said.
When making donations on a fund raising web site, it is wise to do your homework and learn about the person who sets up the account, police said.
Salazar said he's in the middle of raising money for another person in need, but the donations have been slow.
