Taking care of himself…through scare tactics

by Gary Snyder
gary.r.snyder@gmail.com

Steven Emerson raised $3,390,000 for his nonprofit, Investigative Project on Terrorism Foundation by telling donors they're in imminent danger from Muslims. He then dumped the money into his private, for-profit company. His management company, SAE Productions, received the $3.3 million. Emerson is the sole/employee/trustee/contractor for the nonprofit, according to the IRS 990 Form. It incorrectly states that the nonprofit did not delegate its management to a management company. The Form readily admits that that the board (solely Emerson) does not have to disclose conflicts of interest (even though the two entities, SAE and Investigative Project on Terrorism Foundation, share a Washington, D.C., address). "Basically," Ken Berger, president of the renowned Charity Navigator said, "you have a nonprofit acting as a front organization, and all that money going to a for-profit. It's wrong. It's off the charts."