A Naperville man who may have conned about 500 local residents into donating money to bogus Vietnam Veterans groups may have fled the area.

Melissa Merz, spokeswoman for Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, said Thursday that investigators with the attorney general's office believe John C. Chamboullides, who was linked to organizations called the Naperville Vietnam Veterans Coalition Foundation and the Naperville Vietnam Veterans Not For Profit Foundation, may now be in southern California.

Madigan's office has filed a lawsuit against Chamboullides for allegedly soliciting and collecting donations on behalf of local veterans and then pocketing the money for his personal use.

"Most of the people who Mr. Chamboullides targeted were elderly women," Merz said. "People who may have been married to World War II veterans or knew veterans so he took advantage of people who may have wanted to assist other veterans." .....

Anyone who made a contribution to Chamboullides or any of the groups he was associated with is asked to call Chaka Patterson or David Cole, both investigators with the Illinois attorney general's office, at (312) 814-3000.

01/09/04