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New York Attorney General Letitia James announced the guilty pleas of nonprofit Millennium Care, Inc. and its executive director Ethel Denise Perry for tax evasion and theft of millions of dollars. Perry evaded taxes for years and stole more than $2 million to support her luxury lifestyle. The money stolen from Millennium Care was meant for the operation of a homeless shelter located at 980 Prospect Avenue in the Bronx.

“Stealing money that is earmarked for people experiencing homelessness is as immoral as it is illegal,” said Attorney General James. “This individual broke the law by failing to pay taxes while taking money from a homeless shelter in order provide a luxurious lifestyle for herself and her family members. Such actions will never be tolerated in New York, and I will continue to do everything within my power to hold those who take advantage of vulnerable communities accountable.”

Millennium Care operated a homeless shelter out of a 100-room hotel owned by Perry in the Bronx. Millennium Care received more than $10 million in funding from the New York City Department of Homeless Services to provide short-term housing services to homeless individuals. Between 2013 and 2016, Perry used Millennium Care as her own personal piggy bank and illegally took more than $2 million from Millennium Care for luxury shopping sprees at retailers such as Tiffany & Co. and Bergdorf Goodman, and to pay for her cars, gym membership, and other personal expenses. Perry also used the nonprofit to hire her brother, William Perry, and nephew, Jose Colon, and paid them far in excess of their reported salaries.

Perry, knowingly and with intent to evade her tax obligations, grossly underreported her income in 2013, then failed to file taxes from 2014 through 2019. In 2018, Perry filed late returns for 2015 and 2016, but underreported her income for those years by hundreds of thousands of dollars.

In New York County Supreme Court on Friday, Perry pleaded guilty to Criminal Tax Fraud in the Second Degree, a class C felony, and Millennium Care, Inc. pleaded guilty to Grand Larceny in the First Degree, a class B felony. Perry’s felony plea agreement bars her from nonprofit service, and requires her to pay the $1,138,208 that she owes in New York City and state taxes, penalties, and interest during a five-year probation sentence. Millennium Care, Inc. will pay a fine of $2,394,169 and will be dissolved for its participation in numerous regulatory violations and crimes, including failure to make required filings with the Office of the Attorney General’s Charities Bureau and the New York City Mayor’s Office of Contract Services. After the plea was entered Friday afternoon, the Court imposed the promised sentence.

The Attorney General’s Office thanks the New York State Department of Tax and Finance for their assistance on this case.

“This is an appalling case of greed and callous disregard for those desperate for help, one that unfairly tarnishes all the charitable organizations throughout New York who do so much good,” said Acting Commissioner of Taxation and Finance Amanda Hiller. “By flouting her tax obligations, the perpetrator also deprived communities of critical funding for other essential public services. We will continue to work with all our partners in law enforcement to help ensure that justice prevails.”

It is the holiday season—one of the busiest and, hopefully, one of the most enjoyable times of year! It is also a time to be especially careful with your money, as scam artists are also busy, and the ongoing pandemic may give them added opportunities to do their dirty work.

With that in mind, here’s some advice from Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum on how to navigate events like Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and Giving Tuesday safely and enjoyably.

“Your money is hard-earned,” said Attorney General Rosenblum. “You want to put it to good use — and not have others trick you out of it. I suggest shopping early, shopping local, and giving only to charities registered with my agency, the Oregon Department of Justice. Even then, only spend or give your money to businesses and organizations you know and trust. This year, we have the added stress of shipping delays and backordered items, which gives scammers additional ways to take advantage of you–especially by tricking you into thinking they can get that package here sooner or get you that ‘out-of-stock’ or ‘sold out’ gift item.”

Five tips for savvy shopping and wise giving this holiday season:

Tip 1: Avoid buying items that will never arrive.

There are all sorts of sophisticated ways to make you think you’re buying “the perfect gift.” Scammers can figure out how to interrupt your searches with bogus offerings and seemingly good prices. You go to the site, put the item in your cart, and click the “buy” button. BUT: You don’t get a tracking number; the package never arrives; and the seller disappears with your money.

When this happens, you’ve fallen victim to a “non-delivery scam.” To avoid being victimized this way, stick to reputable retailers. Try to avoid merchants with whom you’re unfamiliar. If you’re shopping with a new merchant, check to confirm that the merchant has a physical address, a customer service phone number, and a professional-looking site.

Warning signs of scammers include poor spelling, odd design, and slow loading. PLEASE NOTE: Only buy from secure sites with (a) SSL encryption » and (b) a lock symbol at the beginning of the site’s URL. Secure sites will have https in their URL — rather than http. Paying attention to this difference can save you a lot of trouble.

Tip 2: Watch out for messages about an item you never ordered.

In this scam, you get an email or other message telling you there’s an issue with an item you ordered. But you don’t recognize the item and know you never ordered it. The message may be a phishing email meant to trick you into clicking a suspect link, providing your bank login credentials, or turning over other private information. If you are unsure if a message is legitimate, contact the business directly — through their website, chat, or customer service phone number. Do not respond to the message unless and until you’ve ascertained it’s legitimate.

Tip 3: When making year-end donations: Do your research and only give to registered charities.

There are over 22,000 registered charities in Oregon. The Oregon Department of Justice Charitable Activities Section is responsible for supervising and regulating all charitable organizations within Oregon. So before you give, check the Oregon Department of Justice charity database to learn more about specific charities, and to be certain they are registered with the state. You can also use this site to file an online complaint about a charity or to obtain copies of its financial records.

Tip 4: Be wary if solicitations for donations seem aggressive.

Resist high-pressure appeals for donations. To maintain the most control over your giving and your spending, it’s best for you to initiate the contact with a charity, or an online store—not the other way around. No legitimate organization will insist that you donate immediately

Tip 5: Think twice about crowdfunding sites like, GoFundMe.

Not all gifts are tax-deductible. Only gifts to charities that have IRS 501(c)(3) status are tax-deductible. Gifts to individuals through GoFundMe and similar platforms are not tax-deductible. On top of that, they may not be refundable. If you do want to make a tax-deductible donation, check the IRS website » to ensure your gift is to a qualified organization. Make sure the charity provides a written confirmation or an emailed receipt of your donation. Then keep that for your records.

For additional tips about giving, please visit DOJ’s Wise Giving Guide.  If you have questions or concerns about a charity or a solicitation, please file a complaint online or call the Charitable Activities Section at 971-673-1880. Email: charitable.activities@doj.state.or.us

On July 1, 2021, in Americans for Prosperity Foundation v. Bonta, 141 S.Ct. 2373 (2021), the United States Supreme Court ruled unconstitutional a California regulation requiring charitable organizations to file with the state Attorney General’s Office a copy of their Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Form 990 Schedule B (Schedule B) when renewing their annual registrations. Schedule B is a form that requires tax-exempt organizations to disclose the names and addresses of major donors. 

In light of the United States Supreme Court’s decision, the Division’s Charities Registration Section has proposed to revise its rules to eliminate the requirement that charities submit the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Form 990 Schedule B as part of their initial and yearly registrations. In the interim, the Division will not be taking enforcement action based on the failure to include Schedule B or an equivalent donor schedule in such registrations. The Division will deem any entities that were previously deemed non-compliant solely because they failed to submit Schedule B or an equivalent donor schedule to be in compliance with registration requirements. All other regulations at N.J.A.C. 13:48-1.1 et seq. remain in effect and the Division continues to require the submission of all other schedules and statements.

The proposed regulation, and information on how to submit a comment by December 17, 2021 can be viewed here.

Attorney General Ashley Moody is highlighting nearly half a million dollars secured for nonprofits this year following a successful court action against an unlawful charity robocall scheme. Through a court action earlier this year, Associated Community Services, its sister companies and owners were ordered to pay almost $500,000 in charitable contributions. In Tampa today, Attorney General Moody ceremoniously presented one of these payments to a veteran representing the Semper Fi & America’s Fund.

Attorney General Ashley Moody said, “This deceptive charity robocall scheme purported to help veterans, first responders and cancer patients but instead ripped off generous Floridians and donors nationwide. As Florida’s Attorney General, I am committed to holding accountable those who target and exploit the kindness of others for their own financial gain. It is my pleasure to redirect these funds to court approved organizations that work to provide resources to those in need.”

Semper Fi & America’s Fund CEO, President and Founder Karen Guenther said, “We are incredibly grateful for the hard work of Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody and this amazing donation that will impact the lives of many military heroes under our care. This special donation will be matched dollar for dollar through our annual Double Down for Veterans campaign with The Bob and Renee Parsons Foundation to provide critical funding for our combat wounded, critically ill and injured service members, military family members, and veterans, from all branches of the U.S. Armed Forces. This outpouring of support is truly humbling and deeply appreciated by everyone in The Fund family.”

The funding is the result of previous legal action taken by Attorney General Moody, along with the Federal Trade Commission and agencies from 37 other states and the District of Columbia. The coalition worked together to shut down the massive telefunding operation that bombarded 67 million consumers with more than one billion deceptive charitable fundraising robocalls.

As a result of the coordinated action, $495,000 was recovered and redistributed to the American Cancer Society, Semper Fi & America’s Fund and the Tunnel to Towers Foundation. The money will be used to assist with cancer treatment and to help military service members, first responders and their families.