Man's handling of trust fund probed
A Wexford chiropractor who quotes biblical Scripture on his Web site is under investigation for allegedly transferring large sums of cash from a trust for two orphans entrusted to his care.
Allegheny County Judge Lawrence J. O'Toole agreed with investigators from that county's district attorney's office that all assets belonging to Cranberry Township residents Daniel Pompa and his wife, Merily Pompa, be frozen by a restraining order. Also frozen is the orphans' trust fund, which in 2003 amounted to about $1 million.
Investigators say in their affidavit that only $80,000 remains in the trust after the Pompas regularly transferred cash into their own accounts plus bought a condo at Seven Springs that they then refurbished with expensive fixtures and renovations.
The Pompas in 2003 became guardians of two children, both age 7 at the time, when their father fatally shot their mother then turned the gun on himself in Sarasota, Fla. They also received guardianship of the children's trust fund.
According to the affidavit, investigators found expenditures from the trust including:
n Monthly transfers of $15,000 for the children's care, starting in 2008.
• Mortgages of $150,445 and $82,500 for two properties in Cranberry.
• The transfer of $250,000 into a separate account to be used as collateral against a loan for the condo.
n Total distributions of more than $500,000 for the Seven Springs property that includes furniture, a $1,649 chandelier, $55,200 for new flooring, and a $529 brass monkey toilet paper holder.
• Bedroom furniture for the two children for $4,131, which represents the only expenditure on the list specifically for the children in the Pompas' care.
According to the affidavit, investigators anticipate filing charges of theft by unlawful taking, misapplication of entrusted property and criminal conspiracy against the Pompas.
Allegheny County District Attorney's office spokesman Mike Manko would only say investigators are focusing on the trust fund.
"The role of our office right now is to preserve the assets of the trust with the goal of making the trust financially whole," Manko said in a statement.
A woman who answered the telephone at Daniel Pompa's chiropractic business, Pompa Health Solutions, said neither of the Pompas would discuss the investigation.
The practice's Web site, pompahealthsolutions.com, says Pompa is "internationally known for his expertise in" a host of illnesses, including cancer, autism and diabetes.
The Web site lists as the practice's "global statement" Psalm 67:2.
Pompa's Facebook page lists his birth date as Nov. 4, 1965, and states he has owned Pompa Health Solutions since February 2006.
The Facebook page lists Pompa as graduating from Gateway High School in 1984, the University of Pittsburgh in 1988 and Life University in Marietta, Ga., in 1995.