NEPA News investigation reveals IRS filing irregularities, former board chair’s rejection of charity involvement. Widow still seeking full accounting.

LAKE ARIEL, WAYNE COUNTY — New details have emerged in the ongoing controversy surrounding the José Duran Memorial Fund, as an investigation by NEPA News has revealed IRS filing irregularities and testimony from a former board chairman who says he explicitly rejected the involvement of a nonprofit now at the center of the dispute.

As the Pocono Review first reported, Tinesha Duran — widow of Hideout public safety officer José Duran, who was killed in the line of duty on September 28 — has been publicly demanding answers about donations collected in her husband’s name. She discovered that checks made out to the “José Duran Memorial Fund” were being endorsed by Ryan’s Angels, a nonprofit run by Brian Carchedi, the husband of Hideout Board President Andrew Miller.

The NEPA News investigation adds significant new findings to the story, including a forensic review of the charity’s IRS filings and on-the-record statements from former Hideout Board Chairman Robert Trombley.

The Conflict Web

According to NEPA News, the connections between The Hideout POA and Ryan’s Angels (which operates as “Angel Alliance”) run deep:

• Andrew Miller — Hideout HOA President
• Brian Carchedi — Miller’s husband; President of Ryan’s Angels/Angel Alliance
• Jo-Ann DelliSanti — Angel Alliance Treasurer; wife of Hideout Vice President Lou DelliSanti
• Elizabeth Yocum — Angel Alliance Secretary; wife of current Hideout Board Chairman Richard Yocum

Jo-Ann DelliSanti and Elizabeth Yocum also serve on the Hideout’s Nominating Committee. None of these relationships were disclosed when the memorial fund was announced.

Missing Money, Conflicting Explanations

On November 5, Duran received a $30,000 check from the memorial fund. But bank screenshots from the time showed the account balance exceeded $35,000, according to NEPA News.

When Duran asked about the discrepancy, Miller initially told her $4,000 had been deposited “by mistake,” then later said the same $4,000 was not a mistake, NEPA News reported. Her requests for bank statements from the nonprofit’s account were not fulfilled.

In text messages Duran shared publicly, Miller told her that Carchedi had allegedly spent $2,500 of his own money to set up the memorial fund and would need another $600 for tax mailings. NEPA News reported these claims were “inconsistent with normal banking practices.”

Duran questioned the explanations publicly: “Who knew you are charged to make a deposit?”

IRS Filings Raise Questions

A NEPA News review of Ryan’s Angels’ IRS Form 990-EZ filings from 2022 to 2024 found the nonprofit reported zero dollars in charitable contributions on the line specifically designated for grants and donations — despite holding multiple fundraising events each year.

The lone exception: In 2021, the organization reported exactly $5,000 in contributions — one dollar below the threshold that would require public identification of the recipient.

In subsequent years, funds labeled as “donations” were shifted into operating expenses on Schedule O, a section intended for clarifying other line items, not reporting charitable distributions. The filings provide no breakdown of recipients and no verifiable evidence the money reached intended beneficiaries.

Ryan’s Angels’ 990 filings are publicly available through the IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search database (EIN: 86-3523943).

Former Board Chair: “Absolutely Not”

Robert Trombley, who served as Hideout Board Chairman during the shooting and its aftermath, told NEPA News he explicitly rejected Miller’s offer to involve Ryan’s Angels in the fundraising.

“My response to him was ‘absolutely not!'” Trombley said. “I told Andrew that if the POA was going to be involved with fundraising by accepting checks and/or cash, we could have absolutely nothing to do with, or any association to, Ryan’s Angels.”

Trombley said Miller agreed and told him he’d “take care of it.” After seeing the original announcement for the Duran Fund, Trombley believed the matter had been handled properly.

“I didn’t know ANYTHING about Ryan’s Angels being involved with this fundraising until people started complaining that their donations (canceled checks) were being endorsed by Ryan’s Angels,” Trombley told NEPA News.

Trombley resigned in October after learning that Miller and other board members had quietly orchestrated his removal as chairman — a move that came shortly after his warning about Angel Alliance.

“Headaches” and Cancelled Fundraisers

When Duran pressed for transparency, Miller warned her in a text message that a planned golf-outing fundraiser might be cancelled: “Based on your family’s behavior, they are considering canceling the golf outing, as they don’t want the headache.”

Duran wrote publicly: “I feel frustrated and angry that my husband’s memory is being used to profit their organization and that the Durans are being labeled as headaches.”

The widow has also raised concerns about Miller receiving information about her husband’s murder case before she did.

At a November “Night at the Races” fundraiser hosted by Angel Alliance, one attendee said the 50/50 raffle winner was pressured into “donating” her winnings back to the Duran fund. Duran has said she never received any money from that event.

Bank’s Explanation

Honesdale National Bank issued a letter on November 17 stating that a “labeling malfunction” caused deposited checks to display under Ryan’s Angels’ “Login Name” rather than the actual “Account Name.” The bank said all deposits were correctly placed into the memorial fund.

The bank also confirmed that only Brian Carchedi, as President of Angel Alliance, had access to the account.

No Response to Inquiries

Angel Alliance, The Hideout POA, Andrew Miller, Brian Carchedi, and Hideout property manager Judy Kennedy have not responded to multiple requests for comment from NEPA News.

A separate GoFundMe organized by The Hideout Elves raised $50,017.36 with no reported issues. Those funds were distributed evenly among Duran’s three children.

NEPA News indicated this is the first of a multi-part series on the memorial fund’s handling.

CASE REFERENCE BLOCK

• Victim: José Alberto Duran Jr., 55
• Date of Death: September 28, 2025
• Location: The Hideout, Lake Ariel, Wayne County
• Manner of Death: Homicide (multiple gunshot wounds)
• Accused: Lucas Aron Gartrell, 26
• Charges: Criminal homicide, murder of law enforcement officer (F1), attempted criminal homicide (2 counts), aggravated assault (5 counts)
• Case Status: Pending, Wayne County Court of Common Pleas (arraignment January 8, 2026)
• Nonprofit: Ryan’s Angels Ltd. (DBA Angel Alliance)
• EIN: 86-3523943
• Incorporated: April 2021 (Pennsylvania)
• Address: P.O. Box 567, Lake Ariel, PA

---