DENVER — A man who ran a free clothing store on Welton Street in Five Points was charged Monday with eight felony counts of charitable fraud and theft, according to the Denver District Attorney's Office.
Travis Singhaus, 47, operated Impact Network, also known as Impact Locally, and the Impact Humanity store that gave clothes to people experiencing homelessness in Denver.
Prosecutors think that Singhaus stole grant funds totaling $349,000 from a Denver philanthropic organization by using the Employer Identification Number (EIN) of another charity to claim that Impact Network had legal charitable status, according to the DA's Office.
Singhaus never registered any of his entities with the state Secretary of State or the Internal Revenue Service. He also never obtained charitable or tax-exempt status, the DA's Office said.
Singhaus was arrested Sunday night at Denver International Airport after returning from an overseas trip, the DA's Office said. He was charged with:
- Theft
- Forgery
- 3 counts of charitable fraud
- 3 counts of criminal impersonation
Since at least January 2019, he provided fraudulent documents with the EIN of another local charity to claim that Impact Network was a registered charity with 501(c)(3) status, according to the affidavit in the case.
Between 2019 and August 2021, he used the fraudulent documents to receive $349,000 in grants from a Denver nonprofit philanthropic organization, the affidavit says.
In addition, he was accused of using $44,000 earmarked for a 14-passenger van to take children on hiking trips in the mountains to purchase 2020 Toyota 4Runner for his personal use, the affidavit says.
He also used charities' tax-exempt numbers to avoid paying taxes on his purchases, the DA's Office said.
Singhaus was in custody in the Denver jail, according to records.
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