Man charged with donation fraud

CHICAGO, April 15 (UPI) -- A Chicago man has been charged with defrauding small businesses of $4,000 by posing as a police officer or firefighter collecting donations.

William Foules faces 19 felony counts and a misdemeanor charge of impersonating a peace officer, the Chicago Tribune reports. He allegedly called businesses soliciting donations for a police or fire organization and offering to collect the cash in person if the owner agreed to make a contribution.

Police began an investigation after a restaurant owner found a call suspicious and checked to find out if it was legitimate.