LAS VEGAS (KTNV): For many animal welfare donors and advocates, Kathy Jung’s name goes hand in hand with suspicious spending and misuse of money.
Money for animals from the Nevada Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
Now, almost two years after the Nevada attorney general began investigating the allegations. 13 Investigations exposed for the first time, Jung faces three counts of burglary.
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Kathy Jung served for years as NSPCA president, led shelter operations and controlled the money of nonprofits.
While Jung solicited well-intentioned donations for upside-down animals, he allegedly diverted some of that money for his own expenses.
He resigned along with the rest of his board in 2019 amid an investigation by the attorney general.
“I stopped what I was doing and lost my breath!” former NSPCA volunteer Chelsea Collins said of her reaction when we told her Jung was under arrest.
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“We just waited for the day to hear this news,” Collins said. “We’ve just been waiting for it.”
Collins and other former experts helped sound what was going on behind the scenes at the Dewey Drive shelter near Decatur Boulevard and Russell Road.
13 Investigates broke history in November 2018.
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“The main concern started with treating the animals there,” Collins said. “We were all horrified by the conditions of the shelter and the treatment of the animals, the neglect that was going on.”
Our research exposed the dilapidated conditions and broken promises at the shelter from a leaky roof, to an infestation of cockroaches and spiders, to sewage hoses running through severely abused kennels and volunteers.
“There were some questions and suspicions about whether all this money was being given, why wasn’t the shelter better maintained? Why weren’t the animals treated better?” Collins recalls.
Under Jung’s leadership, the NSPCA raised money from fundraisers and donations for a new shelter that had been promised for years but was never built.
The criminal investigation examined non-animal-related spending on Jung’s NSPCA debit card, as well as ATM withdrawals and small cash irregularities.
Many checks written to the NSPCA account were signed and approved by Jung without receipts or secondary documentation.
“Ultimately, we expect him to serve his sentence,” Collins said. “As you pointed out, you guys discovered the fact that you had done it before, so it has a story.”
As we set out in our initial investigation, Jung is already a criminal convicted of a 2004 felony theft case involving the embezzlement of a car dealership where he worked as a driver.
“This time she was allowed to do it again under the pretext of serving for a charity, so yes, we would all like to see her serve her prison for that,” Collins said.
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“He has committed a terrible injustice with these animals,” he added. “We are so happy that they are under such better care with the new board and new management, but justice still needs to be done where Kathy Jung is involved.”
Lori Heeren, who took over as executive director of the Nevada SPCA after Jung left, sent the following statement:
“This is part of our past; Ms. Jung has not been part of the Nevada SPCA for two years. In those two years we have worked very hard with new staff and a new board of directors to create a standard of good practice in all departments. here, including our financial and animal care protocols. Today we are an organization that the community and our donors can be very proud of. “
13 investigations reached Kathy Jung’s lawyer, Ira Levine, by email. When asked for comments, Levine said he has not spoken to Ms. Jung for a period of time and was the first to hear about her arrest and charges.