Former T.J. Martell Foundation VP Pleads Guilty

Melissa Goodwin, a former vice president at the T.J. Martell Foundation, last week pleaded guilty to a federal wire fraud charge Tuesday after defrauding the charity out of $3.7 million, reports The Tennessean,

She faces up to 20 years in prison and a fine up to $250,000 at a sentencing hearing set for May 20. 

Melissa Goodwin

The Department of Justice last month alleged the 55-year-old used the foundation's money to purchase expensive and rare alcohols, plane tickets and hotel stays as part of a multimillion-dollar ticketing scheme. 

She was arrested and arraigned in late January, and released without bond on Feb. 1. She was ordered to surrender her passport and not have access to firearms. 

The T.J. Martell Foundation — which battles life-threatening illnesses — long has been a favorite charity for Music Row, often tapping country music's biggest names to serve as performers and honorees for its annual Nashville Honors Gala fundraiser. 

The charity started in 1975 when longtime pop/rock music industry executive Tony Martell was looking for a way to honor the life of his 19-year-old son, T.J., who died after a two-year battle with leukemia.

The foundation raises money by soliciting in-kind donations, like concert tickets and memorabilia, from celebrities and then auctioning off those donations for a profit.