SYRACUSE, N.Y. (WSYR-TV) — GoFundMe and the Onondaga County District Attorney are working to refund donations made by community members intended to help the woman who survived her husband’s murder-suicide.
Within days of Deputy Isaac Eames murdering his son, killing himself and shooting his wife, a GoFundMe page collected just shy of $100,000 to help Karen Eames and her surviving son.
Now that Karen Eames is charged with grand larceny, accused of helping her husband steal more than $500,000 from the Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office, people want their donations back.
Friday, Eames’ attorney agreed to freeze the account and transfer to the money to the Onondaga County District Attorney.
“If we get permission,” says DA Bill Fitzpatrick, “we’ll start making reimbursements now. If we don’t get her permission, we will hold onto the money, so I’m optimistic people will get their money back.”
Fitzpatrick says he’s subpoenaed GoFundMe to get a complete list of donors’ names and addresses.
He asks people who want their money back to be patient.
The DA might not need to handle the money. A spokesperson for GoFundMe refers NewsChannel 9 to its “GoFundMe Giving Guarantee.” Donors can apply for a refund if they have concerns about where their money went.
“The most important thing to us is protecting the kindness of our community by protecting their donations through the GoFundMe Giving Guarantee. Given that it’s an ongoing investigation, if any donor has concerns in the meantime, we encourage them to contact our team for a refund.
Our team of Trust & Safety experts proactively monitors our platform for any form of misuse, investigates all reported issues, and also works with law enforcement. In the rare case something’s not right, we guarantee donors a full refund; this is the first and only donor protection guarantee in the fundraising industry. You can find more information about our refund policy and process here.
– GoFundMe Spokesperson
Thursday, Eames was arraigned on charges of grand larceny and possession of stolen property. She’s accused of sharing the personal account to which her husband moved money from a Sheriff’s Office account.
The DA says of the $500,000 stolen, about $300,000 worth of tangible assets were discovered and could be seized if Eames is found guilty. The other $200,000 was likely lost in ATM withdrawals for cash spent at the Turning Stone Casino.
Eames attorney, Michael Vavonese, said, “I sincerely hope that as we go through this, we find that there is some misinterpretation or confusion of events.”
Eames plead not guilty and was released from jail until her next court appearance.