A man who was once an officer with the Disabled American Veterans chapter for Cape Cod pleaded not guilty to bilking the nonprofit out of $125,000.



Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley's office said Richard Trott Sr., 62, of East Sandwich stole the money from 2009 to 2011. Prosecutors say Trott transferred money from DAV accounts to personal accounts. They claim he also withdrew DAV dollars using an ATM and checks payable to himself.



Trott — who was once president of the DAV of the Cape and Island, Chapter 96 — pleaded not guilty in Barnstable Superior Court Tuesday.



Further, prosecutors aim to prove that Trott set up organizations with names that sounded like "Disabled American Veterans" in order to trick donors. The shell organizations had names like "Cape Disabled Veterans Home Inc." and "Disabled Veterans Assoc. of Cape Cod and the Islands."



Disabled American Veterans is a national organization with multiple chapters in each state that represents the interests of men and women injured while serving in the armed forces.