The founder of a charity providing disaster relief after widespread wildfires in 2020 now faces criminal charges in addition to an ongoing Oregon Department of Justice lawsuit alleging misuse of grant money.

A Lincoln County grand jury has indicted Marcus Brooks on two counts of first-degree aggravated theft, the Oregon Department of Justice announced Wednesday, Sept. 2.

Brooks founded Cascade Relief Team, a charity said to have been created to help with rebuilding efforts after the Holiday Farm Fire in Lane County as well as other Oregon wildfires and to assist disaster victims elsewhere.

Brooks also served as executive director of the nonprofit organization, which ran out of money in 2023, according to the Oregon Department of Justice. The IRS revoked the Otis-based organization’s tax-exempt status in May 2025.

The indictment alleges theft involving a $326,000 grant from the American Red Cross that was intended to help tornado victims in Kentucky, according to the Oregon Department of Justice.

Prosecutors allege Brooks used the money to settle past debts and also for personal use. Some of the grant money is alleged to have gone toward vehicle payments, entertainment and cash withdrawals at casino ATMs, according to the Oregon Department of Justice.

“This man preyed on people at the worst moment of their lives,” Attorney General Dan Rayfield said in a statement. “He wore the badge of a disaster relief leader while gambling away the money meant to rebuild people’s homes and give them a new start.”