Gary Van Horn officially out at Delta Foundation of Pittsburgh

The volunteer leader of one of the Pittsburgh region’s LGBTQ advocacy groups has resigned as he awaits a hearing on charges he billed himself as a first responder and forged documents to back it up.

Gary Van Horn, 40, of Pittsburgh’s Shadyside neighborhood, resigned Monday afternoon as president of the Delta Foundation of Pittsburgh Board of Directors, said Van Horn’s attorney, Phil DiLucente.

Delta board member Jim Sheppard has been named interim board president, and board member Marty Healey has been tapped to lead Pittsburgh Pride 2020, according to a statement from the group.

The move allows new leadership to guide the foundation into the next decade, the statement said.

The foundation has also retained law firm Leech Tishman to complete an independent review of Delta’s “activities and compliance,” according to its statement, and the Delta board won’t make further comment until that review is finished.

Van Horn resigned to focus on clearing his name of the criminal charges, DiLucente said.

“He looks forward to sitting on the board again once exonerated,” DiLucente said. “I also want to be very clear: Gary Van Horn has never made an expenditure that was not for the mission of the Delta Foundation.”

Van Horn was a personal co-signer on “numerous assets and lines of credit” for the foundation, DiLucente said.

“It is complete hogwash that he ever misappropriated 501(c)3 monies for personal gain,” DiLucente said.

The Delta Foundation is focusing on planning for its Pittsburgh Pride event that will be July 17-19, according to its statement.

“We greatly value our partners who are committed to treating everyone with dignity, respect and inclusion,” the statement said.

Van Horn is awaiting a February preliminary hearing on charges that include three counts of forgery, two counts of tampering with records, two counts of tampering with evidence, impersonating a public servant and using emergency signals without authorization that stem from two incidents last year in which he is accused of billing himself as an emergency official and providing forged documents when asked for proof.