Allegedly fraudulent campaign donations sent to charity

Up to $6,600 that the head of a Long Island City company accused last week of bank fraud gave to Democrats and the Obama campaign in 2008 will be donated to charity, according to party officials.

Courtney Dupree and three other officers in GDC Acquisitions - including Frank Patello of East Williston - were accused in federal court in Brooklyn of cooking the books to fraudulently get a $21-million loan.

Dupree, 41, a former University of North Carolina basketball player, hosted a fundraiser at his Manhattan apartment for then-presidential candidate Barack Obama in 2008 and gave $2,300 to Obama's campaign and another $2,300 to the Democratic National Committee. An additional $2,000 went to Obama under Dupree's name and ZIP code, but identified the donor as a Syracuse school employee.

The money is being given to charity "out of an abundance of caution," one official said. - JOHN RILEY