Recent enforcement actions by the Ohio Attorney General’s Charitable Law Section have helped to stop fraudulent activity, recover misused charitable funds, and protect donors and charities.
In November, Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine and 23 other state attorneys general announced a settlement to dissolve VietNow National Headquarters Inc., an Illinois-based nonprofit accused of misleading donors across the country. Investigators found that the organization, which also used the name VeteransNow, had been raising money using deceptive telemarketing scripts, claiming donations would help local veterans when it had no local programs in most states. The states announced that remaining VietNow funds would go to two national veterans charities, Fisher House Foundation and Operation Homefront.
Other enforcement actions taken by the Ohio Attorney General’s Charitable Law Section include the following:
- A judgment was entered against Band of Brothers Homes for Heroes and its chief operating officer, Geno Conley, after they failed to respond to a lawsuit the office filed in September. The lawsuit accused the nonprofit and Conley of failing to register with the Attorney General’s Office before soliciting for charitable contributions and failing to cooperate with an investigation into whether funds raised by the organization were used for charitable purposes.
- Several individuals formerly affiliated with a charity called the OSUI Foundation entered into assurances of discontinuance following claims that two former OSUI employees (Brandon Anderson and Alisha Ponder) misappropriated charitable funds and assets belonging to the organization. Under the assurances, Ponder and Anderson agreed to abide by a previously reached settlement with the OSUI board, and other individuals agreed not to participate in a nonprofit unless they take board governance training, among other terms.
- Steel Valley United and Nicholas A. Gutierrez entered into an assurance of discontinuance in January that called for the organization to dissolve and Gutierrez to not form a nonprofit or serve in a leadership capacity for a nonprofit for five years. An investigation found that the organization had not made required registration or filings to the Ohio Attorney General’s Office.
- Marion Baseball for Youth Inc. and three of its officers entered into an assurance of discontinuance, in which the organization agreed to stop conducting charitable bingo, effective June 1, 2017, and not to reapply for a bingo license before Nov. 1, 2020. The organization has also sold the Steve Hogg Recreation Center; proceeds from the sale will be donated to charity.
- Nardos Yirga agreed not to hold a position as an officer, trustee, or employee of a charity in Ohio for five years following an assurance of discontinuance entered in November. Investigators found that Yirga had failed to properly manage accounts for two charities she created, The Empire Livin’ Organization and Art Over Ignorance.
- William Keely entered into an assurance of discontinuance agreeing to dissolve his charity, All Ohio Youth and Scholastic Foundation, to no longer handle charitable funds, and to pay $15,000 to be redistributed by the Attorney General. Additionally, Keely agreed to dissolve Charitable Gaming Supplies, which he operated, and not to apply for a bingo distributor license for five years. An investigation found that Keely sold bingo supplies to an unlicensed organization, failed to file annual reports for his charity, and failed to properly manage accounts.
- Higher Ground Global Ministries and the husband and wife who run it, Steven R. White and Adrienne D. White, agreed to make several changes under a June assurance of discontinuance. Steven White also agreed to pay a $10,000 fine. The Attorney General’s Office had received complaints about the organization, including that it had no functional board of trustees, and an investigation found that the organization’s accounts were not properly managed and that true records of solicitation activities were not kept.
- Kirk Fiorentino, Melissa Fiorentino, and the Tuslaw Soccer Club entered into an assurance of discontinuance in October. The Fiorentinos agreed not to handle charitable trust money, not to solicit for charitable organizations, and not to create another nonprofit in Ohio. They also agreed to pay $1,713 and to file a charity dissolution form with the Ohio Attorney General’s Office after an investigation found that the charity did not operate under the requirements of the law.
In many cases, enforcement actions result from tips provided in charitable complaints. Complaints can be filed with the Ohio Attorney General’s Office online or by calling 800-282-0515.