Cancer Sacm Busted

http://www.wctv.tv/home/headlines/Settlement- ... -374045131.html

News Release: Attorney General Bondi's Office
March 30, 2016

TALLAHASSEE, Fla.—Attorney General Pam Bondi, 49 other states, the District of Columbia and the Federal Trade Commission today announced a settlement with two nationwide sham cancer charities, Cancer Fund of America, Inc. and Cancer Support Services, Inc., and the charities’ president, James Reynolds, Sr.

The settlement resolves allegations that the majority of charitable donations falsely solicited by the organizations to help cancer patients was spent instead on the charities’ operators, their families, friends and fundraisers. The final court order approving the settlement dissolves the charities and bans Reynolds from profiting from any future charity fundraising.

“To target and exploit the generosity of others who have the desire to help patients suffering from cancer is appalling, and thanks to great teamwork with our federal and state partners, these charities will never solicit donations again,” said Attorney General Bondi. “This multimillion dollar settlement will send a strong message to anyone looking to prey on the goodwill of donors.”

The joint state-federal complaint, filed in May 2015, targeted four sham charities operated by Reynolds and his family members that allegedly bilked more than $187 million from donors. CFA and CSS were responsible for more than $75 million of that amount. The other two sham charities named in the complaint settled in May 2015. The settlement announced today concludes the largest joint enforcement action ever undertaken by the FTC and state enforcers and charity regulators.

Under the settlement order, CFA and CSS will be permanently closed and their assets liquidated. Reynolds is banned from profiting from charity fundraising and nonprofit work, and from serving as a charity’s director or trustee or otherwise managing charitable assets. Reynolds is also prohibited from making misrepresentations about goods or services, and violating the FTC’s Telemarketing Sales Rule and state laws.

The order imposes a judgment against CFA, CSS, and Reynolds, jointly and severally, of more than $75 million, the amount consumers donated to CFA and CSS between 2008 and 2012. The judgment against CFA and CSS will be partially satisfied through liquidation of their assets. The judgment against Reynolds will be suspended upon surrender of certain personal assets. The full judgment will become due immediately if Reynolds is found to have misrepresented his financial condition.

Other individual defendants in the case include CFA’s and CSS’s chief financial officer and CSS’s former president, Kyle Effler; Children’s Cancer Fund of America Inc. and its president and executive director, Rose Perkins; and The Breast Cancer Society Inc. and its executive director and former president, James Reynolds II. Under their settlement orders, Effler, Perkins and Reynolds II are banned from fundraising, charity management and oversight of charitable assets. CCFOA and BCS are in receivership and will be dissolved after their assets are liquidated.

Good news, but these scam artists always seem to evade the judgment and set up shop somehow, some way, and somewhere else.
without jail time for the Reynolds (quite-literally) crime family,  you're just playing whack-a-mole.

Thanks so much for posting.  You're the best.

Alas, no jail time! Not one minute!
The corruption is not just the scammers!
USA: Let it burn!

Anyone want to wager how soon they're back at it?

So no jail time?

Risk/reward is what fuels crime. This scam has massive rewards, and no risk (no jail or criminal record). Expect to see it continue. Why bother with burglary, robbery or drug dealing when you can operate a scam like this to make millions of dollars, and no jail time if you do get caught.

Totally agree with all the comments.  Why is this not considered a crime?

It is a crime, but I think the idea is to shut them down.  A criminal case is more complicated and requires a greater burden of proof for the prosecution.  That would be the only reason i could see for them not to file criminal charges as well or as an alternative to the civil complaint.

That face-palm moment when a citizen of the United States makes a pathetic remark such as "USA: Let it burn!"
Don't be so shallow.

The stated position of Federal regulators is that their first duty is to stop the bleeding of money away from fraud victims. The quickest way to get it done in a week if not the same day is to ask a judge to let them freeze the operation. This can be done even before the defendants have a proper chance to fight when it's clear from the often detailed complaint that more harm will come from not acting quickly. Later on they can worry about who should go to prison, which as BigA noted is made deliberately difficult.

Our criminal courts (ideally) do not tolerate ambiguity like in civil, where "preponderance of evidence" is enough. We're not supposed to imprison or kill people on guesswork. In a bogus charity case it may be straightforward to show how funds were misused but less obvious how they were obtained over the phone. Most Americans don't record their calls and don't keep manicured phone call logs. Meanwhile, I imagine that old goat Reynolds can throw insurance money and personal wealth at a defense counsel with the skill to snarl prosecutors for years.

Agree with all the comments about no jail time.  Before this 'judgement' they were also caught running VETERANS' scam 'charities':  "VETERAN'S FOUNDATION of AMERICA"  "VETERAN'S SUPPORT FOUNDATION"   "FOUNDATION for AMERICAN VETS" and other variations on this name/theme. What ever happened to that case?  I got a call from one of these as recently as 1/26/16; maybe more recently, if I took the time to look through my logs more carefully.  Point is, if they didn't cut out the WHOLE 'cancer' that this SCUMBAG has created, chances are he's still AT it on some level.  Besides, from what I've read on this family (do a google search on "REYNOLDS FAMILY CHARITY SCAMS" and you'll get a bunch of articles) there are brothers, sisters, wives, cousins and assorted other 'players' in this scheme.  If they didn't arrest ALL of them, then you can bet its still ongoing.  My personal experience with criminals is they keep doing what they know until they *are* put behind bars.  Nothing else works to stop them.  Thirty-eight years being a "Lan'Lor'" and I've seen/dealt with my share of criminals!

Maybe its time to OUTLAW telemarketing, and the Call Centers that perpetuate it, period.  ILLEGAL for debt collectors, and most legit companies and charities have gotten the message and have stopped using them.
Real, legit 'surveys' could use other methods including snailmail, email, person-to-person 'man on the street', and other old and new technology.  Then people could decide for themselves whether to participate without being invaded at their own homes and businesses.  Seems the only real 'use' for telemarketers right now are SCAMS - and politicians (who are essentially scammers, anyway!)

It is TIME to OUTLAW telemarketing.  I totally agree.  I'm starting a petition on change.org.  Come and sign it.

I'm not signing anything. I know it will not be a petition but an unfocused rant like the rest of your output. Neither you nor "In The Know" comprehend what you're asking or how telemarketing is defined. Also, you've been down that path before .....

29 Jul 2015: "Would anyone here like to help sponsor a campaign for change the DNC on change.org.  I've tried before, but it was not effective."
17 Aug 2015: "let's just make all telemarketing phone calls illegal"

Don't forget to lard on your pet peeves regarding "domestic terrorism" and "impotent" regulatory bodies and freeing pot smokers from prison. Might as well go for broke while not being taken seriously.

I think making telemarketing telegrams illegal, would be more effective.  I'm tired of seeing the Western Union messenger pedalling up to my house with telegrams offering pills, and lotions.

I don't think that legally they could outlaw that could they?