The Rise and Fall of Dan Doyle
Tuesday, December 06, 2016
After leading an organization that brought world leaders to the state, Dan Doyle’s Institute for International Sport was going to be the global model for diplomacy for youth worldwide, with the Rhode Island playing a feature role.
Now, after a long and drawn out embezzlement trial that ended in a jury finding Doyle guilty on eighteen counts of fraud and embezzlement, it all ended Monday in a courtroom in South County.
The jury at Washington County Superior Court convicted Doyle of using more than $1 million of Institute funds for his own personal expenses, thirty years after Doyle started the international sports program that once saw thousands of youth gather at URI from around the world and top dignitaries from President Clinton to Colin Powell headline its events.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST"Our folks raised us around four core values: family, religion, education and travel. My brother and I shared a bedroom with my parents for my first five years of life. My aunt and uncle lived on the third floor. Another uncle lived with us. We weren't rich in wealth but we were rich in family. Our lives revolved around St. Peter's Church in Worcester. From grammar school, to being altar boys, singing in the choir, school dances, CYO and playing basketball for the NE School Boys Champs two years in a row. We knew who we were. We were centered," said Mike Doyle, Dan's brother and one of Rhode Islands top political and advertising business leaders.
SLIDES: See the Rise and Fall of Dan Doyle BELOW
“Convictions always break my heart. I never met Dan Doyle. I don’t know his story, much less the backstory of this scandal. But a verdict of guilt on all counts feeds our shared skepticism of those who seek to do good,” said historian Phil West, who was the head of Common Cause RI for eighteen years before he wrote “Secrets & Scandals: Reforming Rhode Island, 1986-2006.”
“Too often we’ve seen visionaries begin with great promise, only to slide into self-serving behavior that ultimately betrays the original vision,” said West. “We wonder how a nonprofit with such an inspiring purpose collapsed—leaving an empty shell at URI, unrecoverable public funds, and deep disillusionment.”
But, Doyle's brother says the work of (Dan) Doyle and the Institute was globally important, "We all strove to meet our parents expectations. No one more so than Dan. He didn't merely theorize about world peace. He acted positively to make it happen. In so doing, he shone a very bright and positive light on Rhode Island, while sacrificing a family fortune. There is no doubt that my parents look down on Dan with extraordinary pride. He has exceeded all of our expectations and deserved much better in being judged."
According to the office of Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Kilmartin, the State “proved that Doyle embezzled approximately $750,000 in unauthorized salary payments and loan payments from 2005 through 2011. In addition, the State proved that Doyle embezzled nearly $150,000 by paying the monthly balance on his personal American Express card from the Institute's accounts for unauthorized purchases including cosmetic eye surgery, Starbucks, restaurant and bar bills, clothing, groceries, and other items.”
The state wrote:
Further, the State proved that Doyle embezzled approximately $100,000 when he made tuition payments from the Institute accounts to Kingswood Oxford School and Oberlin College for his daughter, as well a $22,000 payment from the Institute accounts to fulfill a $50,000 personal pledge Doyle made to Bates College.
In addition, the State proved that Doyle embezzled approximately $120,000 of Institute funds when he paid for items from the Institute account associated with his two for-profit businesses – the Hall of Fame Press and summer camps.
*This case straddles the border between private and public. Dan Doyle apparently used private philanthropy and public funds in ways none of his donors expected. That would have been harder if the legislature had established accountability for community service grants decades ago, rather than in 2016. I want to believe that reforms begun in response to recent scandals will deter future corruption," said West.
"Rhode Island is not alone in this struggle. Corruption in governments and institutions remains common around the globe. Human nature will never be pure, but citizens hold leaders accountable for conflicts of interest. Our tiny state has made great strides—most recently with 77.7 per cent approval of the 2016 Ethics Amendment, which restores Ethics Commission jurisdiction over the General Assembly," said West. "I hope Rhode Islanders will read the sad story of this scandal and resolve to strengthen honest, accountable government."
Related Slideshow: Rise and Fall of Dan Doyle
Related Articles
- NEW: Dan Doyle Found Guilty on All 18 Counts in Embezzlement Trial
- Closing Arguments Heard in Dan Doyle Embezzlement Trial
- GoLocalTV: Doyle Questions State’s Evaluation of Grants to Institute for International Sport
- Dan Doyle Sues WPRI, Former 12 Sportscaster Calls Station’s Actions “Unethical”
- Dear Taxpayers of Rhode Island - Dan Doyle’s Daughters
- Dan Doyle Released from Hospital, Daughter Blasts Prosecutors
- Where Has Kilmartin Been on 38 Studios, Corso, and Doyle?
- NEW: Institute for Int’l Sport’s Doyle Arraigned on 18 Counts
- PODCAST: Doyle Lawyer Threatens Libel Suit Against Courant
- Exclusive: Dan Doyle Threatens to Sue WPRI 12 for Libel
- EXCLUSIVE: Dan Doyle Lawyer Threatens Libel Suit Against Newspaper
- Institute for International Sport Selects 2010 Sports Education Books of the Year
