Attorney general sues charities

California Atty. Gen. Jerry Brown announced today that he was filing eight lawsuits against a dozen charities and their fundraisers, alleging they had used false claims to raise millions of dollars and then squandered the donations intended to help police, firefighters and veterans organizations.

“These individuals shamelessly exploited the goodwill of decent citizens,” Brown said in a statement. “A shockingly small portion of donations went to those in need, while millions went to pay for aggressive telemarketing and bloated overhead.”

The suits are part of Operation False Charity, a nationwide crackdown on fraudulent charities, and are intended to stop the deceptive practices and recoup funds raised under false pretenses, according to Brown’s statement. The attorney general is seeking the involuntary dissolution of eight of the charities.

Fifty-three individuals and 17 telemarketers, among them officers and fundraisers, also are being sued. The targeted charities include the Law Enforcement Apprenticeship Program, the American Assn. of Police Officers, the Police Protective Fund Inc. and the Junior Police Academy, all based in Los Angeles.

The Sacramento-based California Police Youth Charities, along with five charities based in Orange County, one in San Mateo County and one in San Bernardino County, are also being sued.

Many of the groups could not be reached for comment or did not return calls requesting responses to the charges, which revolve around deceit, fraud, tax evasion and the squandering of millions in donated funds.

But Chris Eaton, executive director for California Police Youth Charities, expressed outrage over the Attorney General’s allegations.

“The allegations that we are fraudulent…it’s absolutely untrue,” Eaton said. “It’s frustrating for us to be lumped in with these other groups. We help tens of thousands of at-risk kids in outreach programs. Nobody is getting rich here. Nobody’s doing anything fraudulent.”

Eaton said he was a 15-year law enforcement veteran in Southern California and several of his staff were active officers and veterans who volunteered their time. He said all have solid reputations.

The suit against the Law Enforcement Apprenticeship Program, for example, claims the group’s directors and fundraisers falsely promised contributors that their financial gifts would be used to operate an apprenticeship program for at-risk youth. But no program ever operated and no students ever enrolled in it, the suit alleges.

Instead, donations were used to pay for fundraising expenses, the personal expenses of the charity’s directors and the purchase of a 30-foot sailboat, according to the disclosed charges.

Among the charges in his suit against the California Police Youth Charities, Brown alleges that contributors were falsely promised that 100% of donations would go to support the charity’s program to assist at-risk youth. But in reality less than 20% of the $9 million raised in 2006 and 2007 was spent on charitable programs, the attorney general said.

The suit against the American Assn. of Police Officers, the Police Protective Fund and the Junior Police Academy charges that the groups underreported fundraising and administrative expenses to the IRS and the attorney general’s office and overreported its expenditure on charitable programs.

-- Ann M. Simmons

Comments

[William]

Oh, my, corruption everywhere. The federal and states attorneys general have know that many so-called "charaties" are in reality SCAMS. This must be a good time to go after them, since they drain charitable funds away from those TRUE remaining charities -- if you can tell which those are.

[Rob]

This is EXACTLY why I NEVER give money to any organization over the phone.

Even the PBA.
I say, I'd rather give in person, and won't give over the phone but I'l accept any literature they can send first. If they won't send it, I don't give to the caller's organization.

[DC MATTHEWS]

I was homeless 8 + years.
no charities like special needs, "too many medical conditions",
people in pain, so we get left in the road.
not here in OC , not even in berkeley.

THE GLOSSY FLyERS are for funding it's not what's happening .
One place told me no disabled, then for katrina showed a person in a wheel chair to news. After katrina and $ rolled in - again, no disabled.

Go get 'em!
for us many ,who had no voice!