Leaders of Charity Steal Money
Introduction
The state of Minnesota is suing Trahern Pollard and Jaclyn McGuigan. They worked for a charity called We Push For Peace. The state says they took $6.5 million from the charity for themselves.
Main Body
Trahern Pollard took over $6 million. He bought expensive cars and traveled to Las Vegas. He used the money to pay his taxes and child support. He also bought a car shop and a liquor store with the charity's money. Jaclyn McGuigan was the treasurer. She sent $1,000 to her own bank account every week. She wrote lies in the financial books. She called personal payments 'office costs' to hide the truth. Pollard started a private company called Change Makers. He moved money from the charity to this company. He did this to hide the money from other leaders. Because the money was gone, the charity could not help people in the city.
Conclusion
The charity has no more money. It is now closed.
Learning
đ¸ How to talk about 'Possession' and 'Taking'
In this story, we see how people get or use money. To reach A2, you need to know how to connect people to things.
1. The 'S' for ownership Look at these phrases:
- The charity's money The money belongs to the charity.
- The state's lawsuit (implied) The lawsuit belongs to the state.
2. Action Words for Money Instead of just saying 'get', use these common A2 verbs found in the text:
| Word | Meaning | Example from text |
|---|---|---|
| Steal | Take without asking | Leaders... steal money |
| Spend | Use money to buy | He bought expensive cars |
| Move | Change location | He moved money to this company |
| Pay | Give money for a service | Pay his taxes |
3. The 'Past Simple' Pattern Notice how the story describes finished actions. We add -ed to the end of the action:
- Work Worked
- Call Called
- Move Moved
Careful: Some words change completely (Irregular) Take becomes Took; Write becomes Wrote.