PITTSBURGH -- A man accused of setting up a bogus charity pretending to raise money for children with a serious disorder will go to trial.

Jerome Prysock, 49, of Braddock, was being held in the Allegheny County Jail on $10,000 bond, but he was released on his own recognizance Thursday.

Investigators believe Prysock was handing out a solicitation flier to local businesses until one shopkeeper became suspicious and decided to act.

The flier's title, including a spelling error, read, "Support Out Autistic Spring Baseball Team."

Court records show Prysock dropped off a flier at Peter's Pub in Oakland, looking for a donation.

The bar manager, thinking it was suspicious, called Cindy Waeltermann, the director of the Autism Center of Pittsburgh.

"My first thought was, 'This is bogus. This isn't legitimate,'" she said.

Waeltermann said she had never heard of the program named in the flier, and Call 4 Action learned there is no such charity registered with the state.

So, Pittsburgh police decided to set up a sting.

The pub manager called Prysock, whose phone number was on the flier, telling him he had $100 for him. When Prysock came to pick up the money last week, four undercover officers arrested him.

Court records show Prysock has a lengthy criminal history with previous convictions for theft by deception, running an unauthorized lottery and fraudulently obtaining food stamps.

"If that person came to our offices and worked here for one day and saw the children that we served, he'd probably have a change of heart, if he has one," said Waeltermann.

Court papers show Prysock was arrested with gift certificates from other local businesses. The records also indicated he told police that he does work with children with autism but has no certification to do so.

To research a charity, visit www.DOS.State.PA.US or www.CharityNavigator.org

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