Update January 23, 2023: The Starts Within Organization provided Pickerington Online with documents which it states prove the allegations against Carlos Christian to be false.
The Pickerington Police Department cannot comment on the case because it is an ongoing investigation. The documents, however, include correspondence from other government entities (including the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services) which have conducted their own review of The Starts Within Organization and found no evidence of any wrongdoing.
Within the next few days, Pickerington Online will have a more complete update. Christian said that the bookkeeper who filed the police report is his ex-wife with whom he has a strained relationship.
July 9, 2023
By Rachel Scofield
A Pickerington father of three is accused of embezzling funds from the nonprofit organization that he founded. According to a Pickerington Police report filed on June 22, Carlos Christian allegedly deposited $78,211.82 into his personal bank account which had been earmarked for the nonprofit The Starts Within Organization.
The mission of The Starts Within Organization is “to decrease recidivism rates by targeting incarcerated individuals through education and mentoring initiatives, making the transition from offender to ex-offender more successful.”
On his Linked-In profile, Christian explains that he founded Starts Within to help ex-felons rehabilitate to become upstanding members of society.
“After being committed to selling drugs from 13 to 19 years old and having to serve a 10-year prison sentence from 19 to 29 years old I have been released from prison for 11 years!” Christian wrote. “Statistically, I was likely to be re-incarcerated within a year, more likely by three years, and almost DEFINITE by five years. I have surpassed all of those marks and now I am blessed to be in a position to have established the relationships with the people who run the state of Ohio to have access to every prison and juvenile facility in the state.”
Ebony Taylor, chair and interim president of Starts Within, provided the police with bank statements and an audit report that allegedly showed Christian transferring funds from the organization’s account into his personal account. He also opened an Amazon smiles account in the name of Starts Within, but never directed the funds to the organization’s account. Starts Within removed Christian from his position as president and from the board of directors. The organization estimates that it is missing $200,000 to $300,000.
Christian is the author of several inspirational books including Prison Without Bars and The Greatest Responsibility: Becoming the Parent Your Child Deserves. Both of which are available on Amazon.
Amazon Reviewer, K. Sanders wrote, “Powerful, serious, real…. Christian gives us a glimpse of what his life used to be, and how he has changed it. This book will suck you in from beginning to end, it will make you think about your current life course, and you will appreciate life, and freedom more than ever before. Christian is blunt, powerful, and honest. A true role model.”
Christian also travels the country as a motivational speaker and his YouTube Channel has 179 subscribers.
“Under my leadership as the president and founder of The Starts Within Organization we are focused on restoring the community by restoring the family structure!” Christian wrote. “As a dynamic speaker my story of redemption and defying the odds has been my main ingredient to inspiring everyone from entrepreneurs, supervisors, employees, at-risk youth, parents, and people with criminal backgrounds that it is another level that we must always elevate to and it is up to the individual…it Starts Within!”
