New York Attorney General Letitia James filed suit in the state Supreme Court in October 2019, demanding the return of $71,539.29 to teenage fire survivor Hailey Bodah. The lawsuit targeted Kenneth Bodah Jr., Beth Ann Bodah, and Travis Bodah, alleging they failed to hand over the bulk of $97,199.29 raised for Hailey’s benefit. The state accused the relatives of mishandling the funds and making false statements to investigators.
The tragedy struck on February 14, 2019, when a house fire on Myrtle Avenue in Watertown, New York, claimed the lives of Hailey’s father, Aaron Bodah, and her four sisters. Hailey, then 13, was the sole surviving child. The community rallied, with a GoFundMe campaign alone raising $25,680 from 523 donors. The relatives, who managed the money, promised donors in a local newspaper letter that the funds would be handled responsibly for Hailey.
The money never arrived. A cashier’s check for just $35,021.61 was delivered to Hailey on September 20, 2019, through the relatives’ lawyer. The gap was stark when investigators pulled bank records for the Bodah Family Memorial Fund. The state identified unauthorized spending, including over $5,300 at Lowe’s for household appliances and payments to a church and a monument company. These purchases fell outside the stated purpose of supporting the orphaned teenager.
The AG’s office, after learning the funds had not been transferred within the legal deadline, sought penalties and a full accounting. The petition specifically charged Kenneth Bodah with fraud and both he and Beth Bodah with lying to investigators. These are legal allegations, not court findings of guilt. WWNY-TV could not reach the three relatives for comment at the time of the filing. The case exposed the legal vacuum when relatives control disaster relief money before it reaches the intended beneficiary.