Ontario-based charity one of dozen sued by Attorney General
State Attorney General Edmund G. Brown today filed eight lawsuits against 17 telemarketers and a dozen charities, including the Ontario-based California Organization of Police and Sheriffs, alleging they squandered millions of dollars in donations.
The lawsuits are intended to permanently stop the charities' "deceptive practices and require the repayment of all funds raised under false pretenses," according to a news release by Brown's office.
It is part of a nationwide sweep called "Operation False Charity" which also involves the Federal Trade Commission and 48 other states.
Lawsuits were filed in San Bernardino, Los Angeles, Orange and San Mateo counties naming as defendants Brown's "12 worst offenders," including the California Organization of Police and Sheriffs, the news release said.
John Ramirez, Southern California counsel for the California Organization of Police and Sheriffs, couldn't immediately be reached for comment.
Brown sued the organization, its directors, officers and its for-profit fund-raisers - Civic Development Group, LLC. and Rambret, Inc. - for falsely representing that donations would be used to benefit law enforcement officers and that 100 percent of each donation would be received by the charity, according to the news release.
Donors were told that their contributions would be used to purchase bulletproof vests and for grants for families of officers killed or injured in the line of duty. They were also told their donations would provide veterinary treatment for service animals injured in the line of duty and for mentoring at-risk youths.
The suit alleges that the charity, its officers and for-profit fundraisers: conspired to defraud donors, engaged in deceptive and misleading solicitation, engaged in unfair business practices, used false or misleading statements when soliciting for contributions, failed to use contributions for the purpose solicited, violated federal regulations regarding deceptive and abusive telemarketing practices, knowingly filed false public documents, and committed registration and reporting violations.
Brown is seeking to dissolve the charity.
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