The former CEO of a Waterville-based charity has been sentenced to prison.

Linda Greene, 74, Toledo, appeared Thursday in the courtroom of Wood County Common Pleas Judge Joel Kuhlman.

The judge cited Greene’s lack of remorse before he imposed the three-year sentence.

Her attorneys said they plan to file an appeal.

Greene had been indicted in February 2021 for using charitable donations for personal use. A jury in August found her guilty of tampering with records, aggravated theft, solicitation to commit fraud, and prohibited acts involving a charity.

Green served as president and chief executive officer of Impact With Hope, a Waterville-based charity which was formerly known as ISOH Impact.

“I’ve lost my home. I’ve lost my ministry. It’s my fault,” Greene said, adding this was the first time the court had heard her voice.

She said for more than 50 years, she has helped children from being trafficked.

It didn’t matter if they were Muslim, Jewish or Hispanic, she said.

She said her heart is breaking because of her actions, she cannot do anything to help those in Israel.

“I’m very, very sorry and I take responsibility for those things that I have been accused of, but I am not a heartless person,” she said.

“Whatever happens to me today is better than what is happening in Israel,” she said.

She asked for mercy and a path that would allow her to spend time with her adopted daughter.

Wood County Chief Assistant Prosecutor Pamela Gross said Greene has shown she cannot follow court orders and is not a good candidate for community control.

She listed no-contact orders issued by the court since April 2021 that Greene continued to ignore, which resulted in her being sentenced to jail on a bond violation.

“What I find most morally reprehensible about this situation is that when the court ordered the defendant out of her home, she instead came back and said, ‘what if I kick this needy family of Africa out of my home so I can continue this no-contact order,’” Gross said about Greene’s actions.

Greene resided in the Lighthouse, located in Perrysburg and owned by the charity.

The state has admitted Green has done good, but kicking out a family so she can live in the Lighthouse shows her true colors, Gross said.

“When it becomes a competition between her interests and charitable interests, it’s always going to come down to the side of her interests,” Gross said.

Impact With Hope doesn’t exist any longer because of this case, which made the charity’s board members aware of what Greene was doing, she said.

The defendant has shown no real remorse and has not taken responsibility for what she did. Her actions speak louder than words, Gross said.

She asked for a prison sentence of eight years.

Defense attorney Jeffey Collins said the facts in his client’s favor include she has no prior record and has no likelihood of committee future crimes. Based on the federal sentencing guidelines, the sentence should be community control.

“When you’ve lived a law-abiding life for 70 odd years, the likelihood of you reoffending is very slim,” he said.

As for his client’s history while on bond, after she spent 30 days in jail, she has respect for the judicial process, he said.

If a sentence of community control is imposed with the condition she have no financial contact with any organization, she will adhere to that condition, Collins said.

“She has acknowledged … that (she’s) at fault. She acknowledges that she made errors in reporting and there should have been greater transparency,” he said.

He cited the good work Greene has done, listing cases where she rescued children from Haiti and Kazakhstan.

“That’s what good work looks like,” he said. “Yes, this case represents a dark chapter in the life of Linda Greene, but it’s not the only chapter.”

He asked the court to temper justice with mercy.

Kuhlman said there is a presumption of prison.

Ms. Greene held a position of trust with the charity, he said. He disagreed that she has shown remorse.

“The court has not seen any remorse. … I don’t believe there is remorse. I think there is regret this has happened and that she is placed in the position that she is in today,” he said.

During the presentence investigation, Greene made comments of things that have happened to her, not things she has done, Kuhlman said.

The issue of bond violations were pervasive throughout the case, and even after Collins said it was an innocent mistake, Greene posted a video of herself interacting with the charity, he said.

That showed “absolute blatant disregard for what the court’s actual order was,” he said.

He said it was not the court’s place to determine whether Greene was a good person and that he didn’t believe she was amenable to community control sanctions.

“Throughout the course of these charges … she’s almost demonstrated in every way possible she won’t obey a court order if she doesn’t have to,” Kuhlman said.

He imposed sentences of one year for the tampering charge, 180 days for the prohibited acts, three years for solicitation to commit fraud and three years for theft.

The sentences will be served concurrently for a total of three years.

Gross asked for restitution in the amount of $440,406.

Collins argued that the state didn’t take into consideration many of the charges were for the charity’s use, including landscaping, a gazebo, and housekeeping.

“That figure is not supported by the evidence,” Collins said. “Our position is the restitution amount should be lower. We’re asking the court for a figure of $150,000.”

After reviewing the accounts and listening to the attorney’s arguments, Kuhlman set restitution at $300,000.

Collins requested a stay on the prison sentence until the appeal was decided.

Kuhlman denied the request and Greene was taken into custody.

From Jan. 1, 2011. to Nov. 28, 2018, Greene was accused of soliciting contributions and misleading donors that the money would be used for charitable purposes when in fact they were used for personal use.

She also was accused of stealing from the charity and using telecommunication services to defraud donors.

During that same time, Greene also falsified or destroyed accounting records, reimbursement/receipt records and other financial records to conceal the loss of $150,000 from Impact With Hope Ministries.

Impact With Hope collects items for medical, hunger and disaster relief.

From Jan. 1, 2011. to Nov. 28, 2018, Greene is accused of soliciting contributions and misleading donors that the money would be used for charitable purposes when in fact they were used for personal use. According to court papers, the victims were elderly persons or disabled adults and the amount received was $37,000 or more from each.

Greene also has been accused of stealing more than $150,000 from the charity in money, services and reimbursements between Sept. 16, 2014, and Sept. 30, 2018.

Between June 8, 2012, and Nov. 29, 2018, she is accused of using telecommunication services to defraud an unnamed victim of $7,500 or more but less than $150,000.

During that same time, Greene allegedly falsified or destroyed accounting records, reimbursement/receipt records and other financial records to conceal the loss of $150,000 from Impact With Hope Ministries.

Impact With Hope collects items for medical, hunger and disaster relief.