Millions Embezzled From Cancer Society

A senior American Cancer Society executive turned himself in Friday night, after being accused of embezzling $6.9 million from the charity.

Dan Wiant, 35, the former chief administrative officer for the society's Ohio chapter, was arrested at Port Columbus International Airport after stepping off a flight from Toronto, FBI officials said.

Columbus television station WBNS reported that Wiant had traveled unaccompanied from Zurich, Switzerland, to Montreal, then to Toronto, before returning to Ohio, where he faces bank fraud charges.

Wiant is scheduled to appear before a federal judge on Monday. His lawyer Kevin Durkin, did not immediately return a phone call seeking an interview.

The former executive officer oversaw computer and financial operations for the American Cancer Society's Ohio chapter and was authorized to transfer money between the charity's accounts, said Harvey Schwartz, the charity's vice president of market development in Ohio.

Last month, Schwartz said, Wiant faxed a letter to Fifth Third Bank that said he wanted to transfer money to a law firm in Austria and that the money was going to be used for research purposes.

The research statement was a ruse, Schwartz said.

According to the complaint, the money was wired to a bank in Austria. The FBI has not said if the money was recovered or where the money is now.

Authorities said Wiant called his wife last week to tell her about the alleged scam and to say he wasn't coming back, and she then called police.

Despite the ease with which nearly half of the nonprofit organization's $15 million annual budget was moved out of the country, officials for the Ohio chapter and the bank were confident all of the money would be recovered.

"I don't really have any comment about this case in terms of whether Fifth Third followed everything to the 'T'," bank official Debbie Beyer said when asked whether normal protocol on transfers had been followed.

"I think what we're trying to communicate is that once we became aware of it, that everything was put into motion to avoid any losses," Beyer said.

The missing money was from funds raised by volunteers to support cancer research, education and prevention programs.