A former California radio host, Ronn Owens, 80, and his journalist wife, Jan Black, are accused by the U.S. Trustee's Office of misusing more than $100,000 raised through a GoFundMe campaign intended for Owens' medical bills. According to a filing with the U.S. Trustee's Office, approximately $132,000 was raised, but only about 10%, or roughly $17,000, was allocated to pharmacy and medical expenses.
Instead, the trustee's office found that a substantial portion of the funds, over $61,000, was used for mortgage payments and more than $44,000 was directed to limited liability companies controlled by the couple. The couple also allegedly used donations for food delivery, credit card payments, their daughter's legal expenses, travel, and retail purchases.
Owens, a longtime anchor at KGO, has Parkinson's disease and has undergone treatment for four bouts of cancer, COVID, and pneumonia, which the GoFundMe described as causing "overwhelming" financial difficulties and "profound" health challenges. The campaign stated that supplemental health insurance did not cover all residual healthcare expenses.
Owens and Black have contended that the GoFundMe, which remains active, did not explicitly state donations were exclusively for medical expenses. Black argued the funds were intended to address the family's broader financial needs. However, an attorney with the U.S. Trustee's Office stated it was unreasonable to assume donors expected funds to cover credit card bills.
Questions about the couple's finances surfaced when they filed for Chapter 13 bankruptcy protection in Arizona in August, reporting approximately $2.3 million in liabilities. A significant portion of their debt, over $400,000, was incurred in the first half of the year after the GoFundMe was launched. The filing detailed credit card debt totaling $300,000 to creditors including American Express and Bank of America, and a $51,000 lawsuit from JP Morgan Chase.
Despite claiming monthly payments of $6,640, excluding a $14,188 monthly mortgage, their reported monthly income from pensions and Social Security was $21,000. The couple also owned a San Francisco home sold for $3.5 million in 2020 and a Scottsdale, Arizona property valued at $1.5 million.
The initial Chapter 13 bankruptcy case was dismissed in January for non-compliance. They filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on May 22. The U.S. Trustee's Office initially sought to ban them from refiling for bankruptcy for one year, but increased this to two years after reviewing financial statements, citing numerous inconsistent disclosures across their filings. The trustee's office is seeking to dismiss the current bankruptcy case, arguing the couple filed in bad faith and should be prohibited from seeking bankruptcy protection for two years. Claims regarding the solicitation or use of donations, however, must be pursued by donors or GoFundMe outside of the bankruptcy proceedings.