Attorney Matt Weidner knows how important it is to support local charitable organizations and does a great deal of work to help these organizations to succeed in their fundraising efforts. With this in mind, however, why did he shut down the Breast Cancer Research and Support Fund?
Attorney Matt Weidner on Why He Shut Down the Breast Cancer Research and Support Fund
Upon initially reading that Attorney Matt Weidner shut down the Breast Cancer Research and Support Fund, your knee jerk reaction may be to hurl insults, but once you know the truth, you’ll be shocked!
The Beginning
It all began when years ago (2013), CNN and the Tampa Times did a series on a number of different “scam” charities. The series was designed to bring to light charities that were raising funding from consumers under the guise that they were engaging in “legitimate charitable activities.” Through investigative journalism, it was found that these “charitable organizations” were, in some cases, devoting as little as 4% of the funding they raised to direct cash aid for the groups they claimed to be raising funds for.
Where Do Donations Go If Not to The Charitable Group’s Cause?
If these “charitable organizations” are raising funds and so little of the funds that they raise are going toward the group they are raising money for, where are donations going? The answer is certainly not the same for every charity, but in the case of many of these scam charities, the answer is that the money is going into the pockets of scammers who run “boiler rooms” designed to collect donations under deceptive practices and misappropriate those funds.
What Was the Breast Cancer Research and Support Fund?
Deceptive fundraising practices were the basis of Attorney Matt Weidner’s suit against the Breast Cancer Research and Support Fund. The fund it itself was set up under the guise of raising funds for breast cancer research and the support, yet when I realized that the organization was little more than a scam charity, I put together my case and ordered for the charity to be shut down. I received a final judgment that ordered for the charity to be shut down and not long thereafter, the Florida attorney general prosecuted the organization and found that “CCAI was a pass-through for donor funds, 98% of the cash contributions went toward “expenses”; in 2013, 99.995% went to “expenses””!
The prosecution’s case against the Breast Cancer Research and Support Fund that was initiated by Florida’s attorney general made a number of the same accusations that were made in Attorney Matt Weidner’s initial lawsuit that got the fund shut down in the first place. It was the pursuit of the scam charity to get them shut down, that provided a solid foundation for the prosecution’s case against them.
But Why Did Attorney Matt Weidner Pursue the Case Against the Breast Cancer Research and Support Fund?
But what was it that made attorney Matt Weidner pursue his case against the Breast Cancer Research and Support Fund? After the initial news report from CNN and Tampa Times, attorney Weidner knew that something had to be done. His personal belief is that “Scam charities are a scourge on society. Scam charities prey upon the good intentions of well-meaning people then divert money that should be used for legitimate charitable purposes to line the pockets of a spider web of consultants, lawyers, and others involved in the con.” Not only is it frustrating to see well-meaning people being taken advantage of, but it’s downright disgusting to see funds intended for people in need be funneled into the pockets of scam artists. When this is happening in your own back yard, well it adds a whole new layer of drive to pursue those who are orchestrating the con.
Fortunately, attorney Weidner was dedicated enough to pursue his case against the Breast Cancer Research and Support Fund, to shut down their collection efforts and the Florida attorney general was involved enough to pursue the scam foundation and prosecute them for their actions.
How Many Other Scam Charities Are There?
Asking how many other scam charities are out there now that the BCRSF has been shut down is simply asking a question that cannot be answered. Certainly, there are MANY legitimate charitable organizations out there who are making a difference, but until more attorneys focus on the elimination of scam charities, the positive difference will always be outweighed by the actions of the negative.
Want Attorney Matt Weidner on Your Side?
If you want to hire Attorney Matt Weidner to stand up for your consumer rights or fight against deceptive fundraising practices, just pick up the phone and dial Weidner Law at 727-954-8752!
