Friday, October 30, 2015

Fundraiser Took $2.6 million From Cancer Charity

by Gary Snyder

Fun-run operator—Frederick Bradley Kellogg and his company, Fresh New Taste LLC—is being sued by the MN Attorney General for violations of charity and consumer protection laws.

Fred Kellogg and his companies are accused of false and misleading solicitations for donations, deceptive trade practices, acting as a professional fundraiser without the required state registration, and failing to file solicitation notices with the state. 

According to the complaint, Kellogg hasn’t paid anything this year to the small cancer charity that these runs were ostensibly meant to benefit—moreover, they have ignored requests by that charity to stop using their name in solicitations. Swanson’s office has been making it their business to hold accountable those for-profit companies that scam the public and nonprofits in these kinds of ways.


According to the Star Tribune Kellogg and Fresh New Taste have racked up more than 60 unpaid judgments over the years and owe at least $2.6 million. Kellogg, in fact, is serving 20 years’ probation for a 2012 conviction of felony theft by swindle.


Nonprofit Imperative gathers its information principally from public documents...some of which are directly quoted. Virtually all cited are in some phase of criminal proceedings; some have not been charged, however. Cites in various media: Featured in print, broadcast, and online media outlets, including: Charity Navigator, Vermont Public Radio, Miami Herald, National Public Radio (NPR), Huffington Post, The Sun News, Atlanta Journal Constitution, Wall Street Journal (Profile, News and Photos), “Betrayal”, (a movie), NBC (on Charity Fraud…TBD), FOX2, ABC Spotlight on the News, WWJ Radio, Marie Claire, Ethics World, Aspen Philanthropy Newsletter, Harvard Business Review, Current Affairs, Charity Navigator, The Chronicle of Philanthropy, St. Petersburg Times, Board Room Insider, USA Today Topics, Accountants News, Newsweek.com, Responsive Philanthropy Magazine, New York Times, Portfolio Magazine, The Virgin Islands Daily News, NANKAI (China) BUSINESS REVIEW, National Religious Broadcasters newsletter, The Charity Governance Blog, American Chronicle, Palm Beach Post, Detroit Free Press, Oakland Press, Nonprofit World, Socially Responsible Business Forum, PNNOnline, Ohio Nonprofit Resources, Nonprofit Good Practice Guide, Nonprofit Startup Guide, Nonprofit Blog, National Coalition of Homeless Newsletter, Finance and Administration Roundtable Newsletter, MichiganNonprofit.com, CORP! Magazine, Crain’s Michigan Nonprofit, ncrp.org, PhilanTopic, Nashville Free Press, Nonprofit Law Blog, Seniors World Chronicle, Carnegie Reporter, Assoc. of Certified Fraud Examiners Examiner, msnbc.com, Worchester (MA) Telegram and Gazette, Carnegie Corporation of America, EO Tax Journal, Wikipedia: Non-profit Organizations; Parent: Wise Austin, Accountants News, Veterans Today, Answers.com, Far-roundtable, #Nonprofit Report, nonprofithelpnews, nonprofit news; National Enquirer, Northwest Herald, The HelpWise Daily, The #Nonprofit Report, Wikipedia (Nonprofit Organization), Answers.com, Nonprofits: On the Brink (2006) Silence: The Impending Threat to the Charitable Sector (2011)

Thursday, October 22, 2015

Lack of Charity Oversight Leaves Public Confidence Down

by Gary Snyder

This month’s Chronicle of Philanthropy has a series of articles under “Confidence Gap,” referring to a survey that found 1 in 3 Americans lacks faith in charities.
  • ·       % of agencies that do a good job of helping people has fallen
  • ·       top donors concern: “how organization uses my money”
  • ·       35% said that they have “not too much” in confidence in charities or “none at all”
  • ·       15% say they have a “great deal” of confidence in charities

The lead article notes the lack of oversight by the IRS and by state charity regulators and the voluntary nature of codes of conduct -- and the lack of any expectations that government oversight will be improving in the foreseeable future. 

The sector leadership believes that oversight should remain the same.

A worrisome trend.




Nonprofit Imperative gathers its information principally from public documents...some of which are directly quoted. Virtually all cited are in some phase of criminal proceedings; some have not been charged, however. Cites in various media: Featured in print, broadcast, and online media outlets, including: Charity Navigator, Vermont Public Radio, Miami Herald, National Public Radio (NPR), Huffington Post, The Sun News, Atlanta Journal Constitution, Wall Street Journal (Profile, News and Photos), “Betrayal”, (a movie), NBC (on Charity Fraud…TBD), FOX2, ABC Spotlight on the News, WWJ Radio, Marie Claire, Ethics World, Aspen Philanthropy Newsletter, Harvard Business Review, Current Affairs, Charity Navigator, The Chronicle of Philanthropy, St. Petersburg Times, Board Room Insider, USA Today Topics, Accountants News, Newsweek.com, Responsive Philanthropy Magazine, New York Times, Portfolio Magazine, The Virgin Islands Daily News, NANKAI (China) BUSINESS REVIEW, National Religious Broadcasters newsletter, The Charity Governance Blog, American Chronicle, Palm Beach Post, Detroit Free Press, Oakland Press, Nonprofit World, Socially Responsible Business Forum, PNNOnline, Ohio Nonprofit Resources, Nonprofit Good Practice Guide, Nonprofit Startup Guide, Nonprofit Blog, National Coalition of Homeless Newsletter, Finance and Administration Roundtable Newsletter, MichiganNonprofit.com, CORP! Magazine, Crain’s Michigan Nonprofit, ncrp.org, PhilanTopic, Nashville Free Press, Nonprofit Law Blog, Seniors World Chronicle, Carnegie Reporter, Assoc. of Certified Fraud Examiners Examiner, msnbc.com, Worchester (MA) Telegram and Gazette, Carnegie Corporation of America, EO Tax Journal, Wikipedia: Non-profit Organizations; Parent: Wise Austin, Accountants News, Veterans Today, Answers.com, Far-roundtable, #Nonprofit Report, nonprofithelpnews, nonprofit news; National Enquirer, Northwest Herald, The HelpWise Daily, The #Nonprofit Report, Wikipedia (Nonprofit Organization), Answers.com, Nonprofits: On the Brink (2006) Silence: The Impending Threat to the Charitable Sector (2011)

Thursday, October 15, 2015

Mid-October Nonprofit Imperative E-Newsletter



Nonprofit Imperative
Your nonprofit browser
October 2015
The monthly newsletter dedicated to:
  • exposing the crisis in nonprofit fraud leadership…a crisis of pervasive and monumental waste, fraud, abuse, mismanagement, and malfeasance throughout the charitable sector which costs taxpayers and contributors tens of billions of dollars annually; and,
  • seeking reforms that will restore the public’s lost confidence in the sector.
What’s Included:
Skunk of the Month:
Politician: 4 schemes; Mayor: 2 Schemes; Phony Charity Aligns With Trump
Breaking the Silence:
American Registry of Pathology; International Registry of Pathology
Charity Check Up:
American Red Cross in Deep Trouble
A Thought or Two:
Gambling and Fraud; Serial Thief
Nonprofit News-In Case You Missed It:
NY state Attorney General; Community Action (MN)…more
Political/Official Chicanery:
NC; IN; OK; MN; VA; MI; ID…more
So, What Do You Think?
·       To do good, donors must do their homework
·       Give Without Being Taken

“British research consultancy firm nfpSynergy lists weak leadership and poor governance systems as major threats to charities today… as a result of scandals …public trust in charities has declined compared to other institutions, it says. When trust sinks, so does the willingness to donate.” (forbes)

“…Over the past year, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman has hunted down a succession of nonprofit scam artists…New York Charities Bureau in 2014 has used a new state law governing nonprofits to aggressively flush out cheats and put nonprofit boards on notice.” (Chronicle of Philanthropy)

The Charity Commission (UK) has probed a soaring number of alleged abuses, including fundraising rip-offs and thefts… top level probes rose 587% from two years ago…(source)

In the tax-exempt sector, it is hard to find any category of organizations that has been subjected to more misuse, abuse, manipulation, and misrepresentation than groups that claim to serve or speak for veterans. (Nonprofit Quarterly)h

…only 7 percent of those surveyed — are the ones that keep annual fraud prevention, financial reporting and impact measurement as high priorities” …(Nonprofit Financial Management Survey from the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA).

Despite the growing number of nonprofits in recent years, states are doing little to hire new regulators to police charities, according to a new a joint project of the Columbia Law School program and the Urban Institute in its preliminary findings. (Chronicle of Philanthropy)


Skunk of the Month…
Skunk of the Month is the twice-monthly designation made by Nonprofit Imperative, the organization dedicated to eliminating waste, fraud, abuse and mismanagement in nonprofits and government. The Skunk of the Month award is given to charities and government officials who show blatant disregard for the interests and trust of contributors and taxpayers. This month’s example is:
             “They came to do good and they did very well indeed (for themselves).”

Public Official and Nonprofit Leader Gets Wrist Slapped For 4 Embezzlements
He stole from:
·       The city of Harrisburg, while being its treasurer;
·       Historic Harrisburg Association, where he had been executive director;
·       Lighten Up Harrisburg, where he collected donations;
·       Capital Region Stonewall Democrats, where he had access to funds
His sentence: probation and restitution for embezzling from three non-profit groups and the financially troubled Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Where was the board? The charities reputations were marred. (source)
Mayoral Candidate Under Charity Fraud Investigation
Help the Vets, Inc. / Breast Cancer Outreach Foundation
Paul Paulson: 
·       charities raised almost $3 million last year; almost half of 2014 contributions were non-cash. That includes $770,000 in vouchers for vacations at resorts in Mexico, and about $258,000 in chiropractic care vouchers from a Winter Garden clinic.
·       A pair of professional fundraising firms brought in cash via telemarketing, drawing $1.3 million. However, the firms charged $1.16 million, or roughly 89 percent, tax records show.
·       $400,000 in receipts, in the form of medical equipment and supplies, came from the British Columbia-based Universal Aide Society, which was stripped of its charitable status by the Canadian government in 2009 after an audit found its officers were using funds for vacation travel.
·       cited his "good relationship" with the Camaraderie Foundation, an established Orlando veterans' nonprofit, but founder Michael Waldrop said he'd never heard of Help the Vets before Paulson's mayoral run.
·       The charity's Board of Directors has only four members, including Paulson's son.
Paulson had been reprimanded by the Bar after an employee solicited an accident victim during the mandatory 30-day waiting period. Paulson resigned his law license while under disciplinary investigation by The Florida Bar which is "tantamount to disbarment in that both sanctions terminate the license and privilege to practice law."
Phony Charity Aligns With Trump
The host of Donald Trump’s speech on the deck of the U.S.S. Iowa was an organization called Veterans for a Strong America.  The organization describes itself as a “a nonpartisan action organization dedicated to educating the public, members of Congress and the Executive Branch about a strong national defense, robust foreign policy and building a military that is second to none.” Joel Arends is the the CEO of the organization and Trump endorser.
The organization had its tax-exempt status revoked by the IRS because it failed to submit Form 990s for three years running.
“The illegitimacy of Veterans for a Strong America isn’t just that it purported to be a nonprofit when its tax exemption had already been revoked, that in all likelihood the people who purchased tickets for the Trump speech thought they were purchasing from a nonprofit, that the U.S.S. Iowa Museum gave the Arends group a preferential rate because its chief executive took Arends at his word that the group was a nonprofit, or that it made an explicit endorsement of a presidential candidate violating 501(c) rules. Veterans for a Strong America was and is clearly yet another fake organization willing to use and abuse veterans for the personal or political ends of the man who created it,” said prominent charity commentator RICK COHEN. (Nonprofit Quarterly)ht
Breaking the Silence:
He was trusted in his executive positions, regrettably…
Michael Parry has pleaded guilty to stealing more than $2 million from two nonprofits at which he executive director and another where he was treasurer. He held those positions at the American Registry of Pathology, a nonprofit organization that supports pathology services in the armed forces. The organization has administrative offices in Rockville, Maryland, and Camden, Delaware.
The other was at the International Registry of Pathology, a nonprofit that promotes the study of pathology in developing countries.
He entered the plea in federal court in Greenbelt, Maryland and faces a maximum of 20 years in prison at sentencing. (source)
Charity Check Up:
What Could The Red Cross Be Hiding?
“The public deserves and needs to know that money is going for which it is intended;” citing the troubled American Red Cross responses after Hurricane Katrina, the earthquake in Haiti, and Superstorm Sandy, said Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss. in an interview.
Though the Red Cross has a government-mandated role responding to disasters, “no regular, independent evaluations are conducted of the impact or effectiveness of the Red Cross’s disaster services,” the Government Accountability Office report found.
The inquiry cites reporting by ProPublica and NPR about the Red Cross’ failures during Superstorm Sandy and misleading statements by CEO Gail McGovern about how the group has spent hundreds of millions of donated dollars.

Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss, requested the 18-month GAO examination. He authored the proposed legislation. The bill would require regular government audits of the Red Cross’ finances, its response to disasters in the United States, and its work abroad.

The audit was not easy. “When you get pushback from the very beginning it creates doubts and suspicion”, Representative Thompson said. The head of the GAO’s inquiry, Andrew Sherrill, said the Red Cross did not give “unfettered access” to investigators. Still, he said the GAO was able to get the information it needed. The report notes that while it reviewed Red Cross policies, it “did not assess the effectiveness or sufficiency” of the charity’s work.

In addition, American Red Cross CEO Gail McGovern tried unsuccessfully to get Thompson to shut down the inquiry by the GAO, which is the investigative arm of Congress.

The charity is also facing pressure from Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, to answer questions about its Haiti response.

In a written response, the Red Cross said it “believes there are several already existing mechanisms in place to evaluate our disaster response that provide considerable oversight.” The statement cited the group’s ombudsman office, its board of directors, and regular after-action reviews. (ProPublica)

The Red Cross was chartered over a century ago by Congress and operates as a public-private hybrid: While it is funded mostly by private donations, it has an official role in the United States’ disaster response plan. The Red Cross receives a variety of benefits from the government, including tens of millions of dollars in funding in recent years. It also enjoys a one-dollar, 99-year lease on government land in Washington the charity uses for its headquarters.

Update: Sen. Charles Grassley is demanding more information about the American Red Cross and its “apparent unwillingness to fully cooperate” with a government investigation into its disaster relief work. Grassley asked the head of the Government Accountability Office for a list of material the Red Cross refused to provide to investigators, as well as the names of officials who didn’t cooperate and any communications in which the charity explained why it was not cooperating.
A Thought or Two:
Gambling and Fraud-a sampling (more in next issue)
An Australia and New Zealand study revealed that 53% of the money stolen in the sector was to fund gambling. 
Last year, Marquet International analyzed 528 corporate fraud cases in 2012 and identified the primary motive in 132 cases. The second most common motive was gambling; the first “desire for a lavish lifestyle.”
1.     Former Chicago Public Schools boss Barbara Byrd-Bennett's-$100,000
2.     Former Cook County Commissioner William Beavers, who was sent to prison in 2013 for tax evasion for siphoning off $266,000 in campaign money to pay for gambling debts racked up at the Horseshoe Casino in Hammond, Indiana.
3.     Cicero mayor Betty Loren Maltese was convicted of insurance racketeering charges that cost the city millions of dollars. Prosecutors said that she had spent some $18 million in casinos. 
4.     New Mexico Secretary of State Dianna Duran is facing charges she used campaign funds to gamble at casinos.
5.     The former police chief of Greensburg, Indiana, admitted stealing $75,000 from the department's evidence room for gambling.
6.     The former assistant treasurer of Niles, Ohio, admitted stealing $142,772 from that city saying she was a gambling addict.
7.     An Oklahoma state senator pleaded guilty to setting up fake corporations to steal more than $1.8 million to pay bills and "support a hidden gambling habit."
8.     An employee at the Cancer Service Network (NY) who was charged with stealing $700,000 to feed a gambling habit.
9.     In the District of Columbia the executive director of Keely’s District Boxing and Youth Center pleaded guilty to absconding with $205,000.
10.  In Pennsylvania, $713,000 was lost at the Allegheny Health Network because of a gambling addiction. In Illinois, a police commander stole $140,000 to bankroll his gambling.
11.  In New York (again), an executive embezzled money intended for youth hockey to feed his wife’s addiction.
12.  Fifty-seven people have been charged amid a $300 million gambling operation allegedly masked as a charity, Allied Veterans of the World.
13.  The former police chief of Greensburg, Ind., admitted to stealing $75,000 from the department's evidence room and using it to gamble.
14.  The former assistant treasurer of Niles, Ohio, was sentenced to 180 days in jail for stealing $142,772 from the city. At Wilson's sentencing, she said she let an addiction to gambling ruin her and her values. (Source: WFMJ.com)
15.  The former Deputy Treasurer of Charlotte, Mich., was sentenced to 180 days in jail last month for embezzlement and had to pay $79,350.03 in restitution to the city of Charlotte. During sentencing, information was presented she lost $50,000 at one casino alone.  (Source: WILX.com)
16.  Republican State Sen. Rick Brinkley of Oklahoma pleaded guilty to five counts of wire fraud and one count of subscribing to a false tax return. Brinkley was employed at the Better Business Bureau in Tulsa and a BBB lawsuit said he set up fake corporations to steal more than $1.8 million to pay bills and "support a hidden gambling habit." (Source: Associated Press)
17.  Former Tecumseh, Ohio, School Superintendent was ordered to serve six months in jail and five months probation for stealing from the school district and going to casinos on work time.
18.  Former San Diego Mayor Maureen O'Connor, meanwhile, entered into a deferred prosecution agreement with the government in 2013 that required her to pay $2 million in restitution to a charity set up by her late husband. O'Connor said she used the money to gamble at casinos. The government said she wagered an estimated $1 billion over time with total losses of $13 million, although she was not accused of wagering city money. Philip L.B. Halpern, who served as chief of the major frauds and special prosecutions section for the U.S. attorney's office in San Diego, told the New York Times that O'Connor's case was first brought to prosecutors' attention by the Internal Revenue Service, which receives reports of winnings from casinos.
19.  Former FBI agent Timothy A. Klotz pleaded guilty to embezzling more than $43,000 from funds used for paying confidential informants. A judge ordered him to stay out of gaming institutions. In a bankruptcy filing, Klotz listed $11,000 in gambling losses in one year. His embezzlement scheme lasted from 2007 to 2011.
20.  A recent audit from the State Auditor and Inspector’s office into missing funds at the Tahlequah Chamber of Commerce showed more than $400,000 was missing, including more than $120,000 spent at a local casino. Investigators with the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation are tracing the expenditures, according to reports, although no charges have been filed in the case to date. Executive Director David Moore resigned when the losses were made public.
21.  A former credit union manager was removed and the business was turned over to investigators, including the FBI, after she admitted more than $16 million in gambling activities, according to a story in the Credit Union Times. State and federal examiners found that about $10 million in non-member deposits made into the credit union were missing, with large sums being spent at a casino in Quapaw and in Kansas City. The FBI searched the home of the former manager and confiscated paperwork, tens of thousands of dollars in cashier’s checks, and gold coins. Charges have not yet been filed.
22.  In 2010, a former auditor with Oklahoma Commissioners of the Land Office, pleaded guilty to 174 felony embezzlement counts, admitting he embezzled $1,2 million from state education funds to feed his gambling addiction. His defense attorney called Melson a "gamblaholic.” “He doesn't gamble any more, and he goes to several support groups," attorney Billy Bock said during Melson’s sentencing. Melson was sentenced to 10 years in prison and restitution.
23.  Former Muskogee Deputy Court Clerk was convicted of embezzling more than $600,000 in court funds. Court filings in her case show repeated complaints of indebtedness stretching back several years before her conviction. According to court records and published accounts, she spent the money at a local casino. Her attorney called gambling “an epidemic.”
Serial Thief: Four Embezzlements and $1.3 million
A woman was sentenced to three years in prison for embezzling more than $1.3 million from nonprofit organizations designed to help the homeless and foster children, according to the U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland.
She worked as a bookkeeper for four nonprofit organizations that received federal assistance, the statement said.
According to her plea agreement, she took the following:
  • $133,178.04 from Reservoir Hill Improvement Council; 2012–2014
  • $161,750.14 from Jobs, Housing & Recovery (JHR); 2013–2014
  • $784,781.17 from Between Friends; 2008–2011
  • $226,888.34 from Health, Education, Advocacy, Life (HEAL); 2005–2011
Where were the boards, enforcement?

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Nonprofit News…
In Case You Missed It:
1.     The New York Nonprofit Revitalization Act is a comprehensive revision of charity regulation that became law in 2014. While it lowered some bureaucratic hurdles for nonprofits — by making it easier to form and dissolve charitable groups — the law is regarded as perhaps the toughest in the nation in terms of how it seeks to regulate nonprofit board activity. Charity regulators nationwide are watching New York to see how the new law is enforced. As an example, 25 lawyers are scouring Pennies for Charity, an annual report by the New York Attorney General’s office. The most recent report, issued in March, showed that only 48 percent of the money raised by telemarketers registered in the state actually went to charity. (philanthropy.com)
2.     The trust that manages the $41 billion endowment of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is suing Brazil’s Petróleo Brasileiro SA and its auditor in a New York court, claiming a vast corruption scheme centered on the state-run oil company caused the charitable organization to lose tens of millions of dollars.
3.     The former president of United Mid-Coast Charities who embezzled more than $4.6 million from the nonprofit – the largest amount stolen from a charity in Maine history – was sentenced to serve four years in prison and ordered to repay the money he embezzled.
4.     Nearly 40 percent of financial management teams lack annual fraud prevention procedures, checklists and similar reviews, according to results of the new Nonprofit Financial Management Survey from the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA).
5.     Almost two-thirds of Americans have a great deal or a fair amount of confidence in charities, according to a new Chronicle poll — the first to measure public views on that question since 2008. And 35 percent said they had little or no confidence in charities. The key numbers have barely budged since 2008, when 64 percent said they had a great deal or a fair amount of confidence in charities, compared with 62 percent in the new poll.
Fifteen percent said they had a great deal of confidence in charitable organizations over all, with 21 percent saying that about charities in their own communities. In a June Gallup poll, only 4 percent said they had a great deal of confidence in Congress, 9 percent in big business, 10 percent in newspapers, and 12 percent in banks, public schools, and organized labor. The top scorers: the military (42 percent) and small business (34 percent).
6.     Federal authorities indicted former Community Action of Minneapolis CEO Bill Davis and his son, Minneapolis Police Officer Jordan Davis, on 16 counts of fraud and theft, alleging they spent money meant for weatherization projects on personal travel, dining, entertainment and a car. The charges say the pair devised and executed a scheme to defraud the nonprofit by diverting at least $250,000 in agency funds for their personal use, and the use of friends and family.
We flagged these few examples of charity misdeeds:
1.     Independence High School (ID) $11,000
2.     Community Action of Minneapolis <$600,000
3.     International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 783, (KY) $17,300
4.     Heroes Fund (PA) $91,000
5.     Junior League of Rhode Island more than $125,000
6.     Island City Snowmobile Club (WI) $135,000
7.     Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1433 (AZ) $275,000
8.     New Mexico Cattle Growers Foundation $296,000
9.     Transportation Aids of Buffalo (NY) Union $120,000
10.  Charleroi Area Education Association (PA) $66,000
11.  Iron Workers Local 63 (IL) unknown
12.  Westland Hockey Association (MI) $45,000
13.  Sacramento Valley Symphonic Band Association $100,000+
14.  Huron Valley (MI) Youth Baseball and Softball League (HVYBSL) $20,000+
15.  Highland Woman's Club (CA) $28,414
16.  Montana Chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates $500,000
17.  Pride Alliance Board (CA) $15,000
18.  United Steelworkers Local Union (WV) 05-887 unknown
19.  Westerville Public Library (OH) $26,000
20.  Central Piedmont Community College (NC) $344,000
21.  Mahopac (NY) Volunteer Fire Department up to $5 million 
22.  Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employees Lodge 800 (MO) $12,5000
23.  Veteran Charities:
·       Help the Vets
·       Veterans for Strong America
·       VietNow 
·       Illinois Vietnam Veterans
·       Military Families of America
·       American Disabled Veterans Foundation
·       Vets Fighting Breast Cancer
·       Veterans Emergency Blood Bank
     31. Beware of these breast cancer charities (based on charity navigator)
·       National Cancer Center
Political/public official chicanery (just a few):
1.     The Assistant Fire Chief of the Lincolnton Fire Department is the focus of a probe by the State Bureau of Investigation who may have misappropriated thousands of dollars from the account of the Lincoln County Chapter of the North Carolina Firefighter Burned Children Fund where he served as treasurer for over 20 years.
2.     A former auditor for LaPorte Indiana has been convicted of embezzling more than $150,000 in government funds and defrauding her father-in-law of at least $400,000.
3.     A former general manager of the Delaware County  (OK) Solid Waste Authority is accused of selling an estimated $180,000 worth of scrap metal and then pocketing the money.
4.     A former Somerset County (MN) district attorney’s office clerk is accused of stealing an estimated $85,000 over four years.
5.     Altavista's (VA) former police chief is accused of embezzling money from a drug fund
6.     Oak Park (MI) deputy city clerk and director of elections and her husband, were charged with taking more than $430,000 from the city in a two-year scheme that involved forging signatures and falsifying records 
7.     A former campaign treasurer for Virginia Senate Minority Leader Richard Saslaw has been charged with embezzling more than $650,000 in campaign funds.
8.     Travel expense claims submitted by a Democratic state senator and his wife were called "improper" by a court-appointed receiver examining the finances of Community Action of Minneapolis that was shut down last year.
9.     A former Des Moines police officer has turned himself in to authorities after being accused in the embezzlement of more than $20,000 while he was treasurer on the police gym's board of directors.
Readers, weigh in as to what you think…please continue the tips (they are very helpful) gary.r.snyder@gmail.com
Nonprofit Imperative gathers its information principally from media sources...some of which are directly quoted. Virtually all cited are in some phase of criminal proceedings; some have not been charged, however there is money missing. These incidents include only a fraction of the estimated $40 billion of charity crimes. On rare occasions, there may be duplicates.
We’re noticed: Cites in various media:
Featured in print, broadcast, and online media outlets, including: Charity Navigator, Washington Post, National Enquirer, The Patriot-News, Vermont Public Radio, Miami Herald, New York Times, National Public Radio, Huffington Post, The Sun News, In Touch, Atlanta Journal Constitution, Wall Street Journal (Profile, News and Photos), FOX2, ABC Spotlight on the News, WWJ Radio, msnbc.com, Marie Claire, Ethics World, Tactical Philanthropy, Aspen Philanthropy Newsletter, Harvard Business Review, Current Affairs, The Chronicle of Philanthropy, St. Petersburg Times, Board Room Insider, USA Today Topics, Accountants News, Newsweek.com, Responsive Philanthropy Magazine, , Portfolio Magazine, The Virgin Islands Daily News, NANKAI (China) BUSINESS REVIEW, National Religious Broadcasters newsletter, The Charity Governance Blog, American Chronicle,  Palm Beach Post, Detroit Free Press, Oakland Press, Nonprofit World, Socially Responsible Business Forum, PNNOnline, Ohio Nonprofit Resources, Nonprofit Good Practice Guide, Nonprofit Startup Guide, Nonprofit Blog,  National Coalition of Homeless Newsletter, The Michigan Nonprofit Management Manual, MichiganNonprofit.com, CORP! Magazine, Crain’s Michigan Nonprofit, ncrp.org, PhilanTopic, Nashville Free Press, Nonprofit Law Blog, Seniors World Chronicle, Carnegie Reporter, Assoc. of Certified Fraud Examiners Examiner, Worchester (MA) Telegram and Gazette, Carnegie Corporation of America, EO Tax Journal, Wikipedia: Non-profit Organizations; Parent: Wise Austin, Accountants News, Veterans Today, VPR News, National Enquirer,
  • Silence: The Impending Threat to the Charitable Sector (Xlibris, 2011)
…”This book should be read by everyone. It will send a shiver down the reader's spine to think that people with little money to spare have given generously…”
  • Nonprofits: On the Brink (iUniverse, 2006)
  • The Michigan Nonprofit Management Manual, Governance Section
Our intent is to keep you informed.... You may be removed from our contact list and future mailings by emailing to garysnyder4@gmail.com with the word "remove" in the subject line.
Email: gary.r.snyder@gmail.com; 248/324-3700;
Gary Snyder is the author of Silence: The Impending Threat to the Charitable Sector (Xlibris, June, 2011) and Nonprofits: On the Brink (iUniverse, February, 2006) and articles in numerous publications. The book can be bought at amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, Barnes and Noble (store)
© Gary R. Snyder, All Rights Reserved, 2015  









Nonprofit Imperative gathers its information principally from public documents...some of which are directly quoted. Virtually all cited are in some phase of criminal proceedings; some have not been charged, however. Cites in various media: Featured in print, broadcast, and online media outlets, including: Charity Navigator, Vermont Public Radio, Miami Herald, National Public Radio (NPR), Huffington Post, The Sun News, Atlanta Journal Constitution, Wall Street Journal (Profile, News and Photos), “Betrayal”, (a movie), NBC (on Charity Fraud…TBD), FOX2, ABC Spotlight on the News, WWJ Radio, Marie Claire, Ethics World, Aspen Philanthropy Newsletter, Harvard Business Review, Current Affairs, Charity Navigator, The Chronicle of Philanthropy, St. Petersburg Times, Board Room Insider, USA Today Topics, Accountants News, Newsweek.com, Responsive Philanthropy Magazine, New York Times, Portfolio Magazine, The Virgin Islands Daily News, NANKAI (China) BUSINESS REVIEW, National Religious Broadcasters newsletter, The Charity Governance Blog, American Chronicle, Palm Beach Post, Detroit Free Press, Oakland Press, Nonprofit World, Socially Responsible Business Forum, PNNOnline, Ohio Nonprofit Resources, Nonprofit Good Practice Guide, Nonprofit Startup Guide, Nonprofit Blog, National Coalition of Homeless Newsletter, Finance and Administration Roundtable Newsletter, MichiganNonprofit.com, CORP! Magazine, Crain’s Michigan Nonprofit, ncrp.org, PhilanTopic, Nashville Free Press, Nonprofit Law Blog, Seniors World Chronicle, Carnegie Reporter, Assoc. of Certified Fraud Examiners Examiner, msnbc.com, Worchester (MA) Telegram and Gazette, Carnegie Corporation of America, EO Tax Journal, Wikipedia: Non-profit Organizations; Parent: Wise Austin, Accountants News, Veterans Today, Answers.com, Far-roundtable, #Nonprofit Report, nonprofithelpnews, nonprofit news; National Enquirer, Northwest Herald, The HelpWise Daily, The #Nonprofit Report, Wikipedia (Nonprofit Organization), Answers.com, Nonprofits: On the Brink (2006) Silence: The Impending Threat to the Charitable Sector (2011)