Residents in Montgomery County have been receiving deceptive telemarketing solicitations from a fictitious business seeking donations to benefit local volunteer firefighters. The County’s Office of Consumer Protection (OCP) has entered into a settlement agreement with the organization making the deceptive calls but is still urging residents to be aware that the scam has occurred and could be duplicated by others. The settlement includes provisions for scammed residents to receive refunds.
Continue reading “Montgomery County Office of Consumer Protection Uncovers Political Action Committee Engaged in Deceptive Telemarketing Regarding Alleged Donations to Local Volunteer Firefighters”ILLINOIS – Attorney General Raoul: Judge Finds Lombard Veterans Charity Misappropriated Funds and Judge Enters Order Prohibiting Charity & Owners from Operating in Illinois
Chicago — Attorney General Kwame Raoul today announced a Cook County judge entered an order prohibiting the Lombard-based charity Veterans Christian Network, Inc. (VCN) and its founders, Todd and Priscilla Olshefski, from engaging in future charitable activities in Illinois. The order resolves a lawsuit Raoul’s office filed this spring against VCN and the Olshefskis over violations of Illinois charity laws.
Continue reading “ILLINOIS – Attorney General Raoul: Judge Finds Lombard Veterans Charity Misappropriated Funds and Judge Enters Order Prohibiting Charity & Owners from Operating in Illinois”MARYLAND, PENNSYLVANIA, VIRGINIA, & WEST VIRGINIA
Four states combined efforts in a multistate investigation. Here are Virginia’s press release and documents.
ATTORNEY GENERAL HERRING SHUTS DOWN DECEPTIVE ORGANIZATION THAT EXPLOITED SERVICEMEMBERS
~ Multistate settlement includes $10,000 in payments and will shut down Hearts 2 Heroes, permanently ban owners from engaging in charitable solicitations ~
RICHMOND(August 14, 2019) – Attorney General Mark R. Herring announced today that he has led a coalition of four states to shut down a deceptive organization that exploited goodwill towards those in the military and misused funds that were supposed to benefit servicemembers serving overseas. The multistate settlement involves Hearts 2 Heroes Inc., a for-profit company doing business as Active Duty Support Services Inc., which made door-to-door sales of “care packages” ostensibly to be sent to service members overseas. Last summer, Attorney General Herring filed suit against Hearts 2 Heroesalleging that the company violated the Virginia Consumer Protection Act and Virginia’s Solicitation of Contributions law by misrepresenting the nature of the business and the care packages purchased, and by misusing donated funds. The lawsuit was announced as part of “Operation Donate with Honor”, a nationwide sweep to crackdown on fraudulent charities that exploit the name of America’s veteran community to solicit donations. As part of the settlement, the business has been shut down and the owners will be permanently banned from engaging in charitable solicitations or working for a charitable organization.
Continue reading “MARYLAND, PENNSYLVANIA, VIRGINIA, & WEST VIRGINIA”CALIFORNIA – Attorney General Becerra Announces Lawsuit Against Move America Forward for Operating a Misleading Solicitations Scheme
SACRAMENTO – California Attorney General Xavier Becerra today filed a lawsuit against Move America Forward, a nonprofit that sends care packages to combat troops. The lawsuit alleges that Move America Forward’s marketing practices misled donors about the nonprofit’s affiliations and charitable outreach. Further, the lawsuit alleges that the charity used pictures and quotes of veterans without permission in order to seek donations. The lawsuit also claims Move America Forward violated Internal Revenue Service rules by supporting a political action committee and using charitable donations to support at least two political campaigns.
Continue reading “CALIFORNIA – Attorney General Becerra Announces Lawsuit Against Move America Forward for Operating a Misleading Solicitations Scheme”Aspen Institute Update on passage of the Taxpayer First Act
NASCO is pleased to share the following update from The Aspen Institute:
Join the Aspen Institute in celebrating an historic victory for the nonprofit sector and our democracy!
A few years ago, the Program on Philanthropy and Social Innovation (PSI) of the Aspen Institute, and its partners, set out to revolutionize nonprofit data by making it easier and cheaper for researchers and the public to access information on the U.S. nonprofit sector as a whole.
Welcome to the world of nonprofit data liberation!
Congress has passed a new law requiring the electronic filing of nonprofit tax returns and the release of those forms to the public, for free, in a searchable, machine-readable format.
The provision is part of a bipartisan IRS reform measure, the Taxpayer First Act (H.R. 3151), just approved by the Senate and recently passed in the House. The bill now awaits the President’s signature to become law; I will share updates as the bill approaches this crucial last stage.
Continue reading “Aspen Institute Update on passage of the Taxpayer First Act”