Former Martell Foundation GM Gets 4 Years For Embezzling

Melissa Goodwin was sentenced to four years in prison for embezzling more than $3.7 million from the T.J. Martel Foundation for Cancer Research, U.S. Attorney Mark H. Wildasin announced Thursday.

The Tennessean reports Goodwin worked as the executive vice president and general manager of the foundation. She was charged with wire fraud earlier this year and pleaded guilty to devising and operating a scheme to defraud the foundation. 

District Judge William Campbell Jr. also ordered Goodwin to pay more than $3.9 million in restitution. 

Melissa Goodwin

The 56-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, according to the Department of Justice. 

The alleged fraud was initially discovered in 2020, when TJ Martell’s then-CEO Laura Heatherly asked the organization’s accountants to copy her on all correspondence with Goodwin, after the long-term employee had become delinquent in filing financial statements and expense reports. Lynn-Anne Huck, who has been acting as TJ Martell’s interim CEO since late 2020, oversaw the review that unearthed the extent Goodwin’s activities.

Goodwin allegedly turned some items over to the founder/owner an auction company, listed in the filing as Individual One, to resell for profit for themselves, misappropriating more than $4.2 million of foundation funds. TJ Martell, which makes a portion of its money from auctioning items, had previously legitimately used Individual One’s business to provide items to auction. Individual One has since been named as Darran Brown, the founder/owner of auction companies Executive Sports Group (ESG) and Go Charity.