In his weekly radio and Internet address Saturday, Obama said people can honor veterans by sending a letter or care package to troops overseas, volunteering at health clinics or taking supplies to a homeless veterans center. He said it could also mean something as simple as saying “thank you” to a veteran walking by on the street.
“We have a responsibility to serve all of them as well as they serve all of us,” Obama said. “And yet, all too often in recent years and decades, we, as a nation, have failed to live up to that responsibility. We have failed to give them the support they need or pay them the respect they deserve.
“That is a betrayal of the sacred trust that America has with all who wear and all who have worn the proud uniform of our country,” he said. Link Those are strong words of challenge to this great nation’s citizens. So I went to look for some places locally where donations could be accepted to help veterans.
Using my pal, Google, to search, I found several links. At one of those links, there was news of multi-million dollar fraud scheme in Santa Ana for a “charity” that scammed donors out of money intended for veterans. The “charity” was comprised of three groups: the American Veterans Relief Foundation, the Coalition of Police and Sheriffs and the Disabled Firefighters Fund, all using the same address were exposed by a crackdown called Operation False Charity.
Here are some more details from the Operation False Charity Link: The three groups had been in legal trouble in the past. They were founded around 2000 by Joseph Shambaugh of Santa Ana, who was indicted in 2006 for mail fraud and money laundering in connection with the fundraising operations. He fled and remains a fugitive, the FTC said. Shambaugh had previously spent six years in prison for attempting to hire a hit man to kill his father and a former business associate.
The fundraising businesses were taken over by Jeffrey Duncan and William Rose, with Kathy Clinkenbeard overseeing the hiring of telemarketers, according to the FTC. The three of them were named in the civil complaint and settlement, which has yet to be ratified by a federal judge.
The American Veterans Relief group “falsely claimed that the money they were raising would support the families of soldiers fighting overseas,” the FTC said. The group sometimes said it was raising money for Operation Homefront, a legitimate charity that provides support to service members and their families, according to court documents.
All three groups had received the lowest possible rating — zero stars — from the nonprofit Charity Navigator, which has rated more than 5,000 charities.
“The vast majority of charities spend about 75% to programs with only 25% going to overhead,” said Charity Navigator spokeswoman Sandra Miniutti. “These groups had it completely backward.”
According to the article, there are more actions to come against false charities in California.
Does anyone have a favorite LEGITIMATE Veteran’s support organization that you would recommend to others wanting to give donations?
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