6 Investigates a local group dedicated to putting an end to child hunger that is now facing questions over a string of bad checks.
"No Child Goes Hungry – Corpus Christi" owes a local market more than a thousand dollars after a man named Daniel Esparza bounced three checks, in early March.
Esparza is the founder of the group. He was on KRIS-6 News last September, reminding the community that no donation is too small when it comes to helping end child hunger.
"$10 will go a long way for a student," he says.
But, when Esparza cashed three checks at Eddie’s Corner Store, in quick succession, Store Manager Barzan Hosseini says they all bounced.
"All three checks were made out to (Esparza) for ‘cash’ or ‘worker’s pay’," Hosseini says.
Esparza has been unwilling to go back on-camera to discuss this problem. He insists a plan is in place to repay the bounced checks. Hosseini says he’ll believe it when he sees it.
"Every time I answer (Esparza’s call), it’s a different story. So, I just started not answering his phone calls. It’s a waste of breath trying to collect on this checks."
It is not an isolated case.
6 Investigates found a complaint about another bounced check from "No Child Goes Hungry …" on file with a Nueces County Justice of the Peace. The complaint is over a check of less than a hundred dollars, cashed in January. The defendant? Daniel Esparza.
We’ve asked the group very specific questions concerning who is on the board, what the board is doing to ensure this does not happen again and more importantly, why it happened in the first place – they have not responded.
As for Hosseini, he’s very, very wary.
"It’s just really shameful … that he would burn us like this."
