The manager of the 2020 campaign that launched the far-right politician Marjorie Taylor Greene to Congress has been ordered to pay $25,000 for his role in a charity scam aimed at capitalizing on the East Palestine train crash.
Isaiah Wartman and his business partner Luke Mahoney must each pay $22,000 in restitution as well as $3,000 in investigative costs and fees as part of a settlement with the Ohio attorney general’s office, which prosecuted the case. Meanwhile, the settlement calls for a co-founder of the fake charity, Michael Peppel, to pay a $25,000 civil penalty and be banned from starting, running or soliciting for any charitable organization in the state.
The Ohio Clean Water Fund for which Wartman and Mahoney served as fundraisers raised $149,000 in donations in the wake of the East Palestine train derailment disaster in Ohio. The charity claimed it would provide donations to the Second Harvest Food Bank of the Mahoning Valley.
But the Ohio Clean Water Fund only donated $10,000, and the charity pocketed the rest.
So of the 130k they stole they only have to give up 25k of it? And they say crime doesn’t pay.
Depending on the charity but legally you only have to give 10% in some states even less to the cause you are collecting for. Rest can go to "administration " fees.
If I had no morals or ethics I could get rich running a charity. . Knew a guy made bank running those donate your car, boat etc to battery women charitys. Gave 10% rest was cost of advertising and his salary.
He even lived in a house that had been donated.
Most charity’s are big scams.
Oh god I knew it was bad but 10% or less !? OMG
Yep I heard it can get as low as 2% but been years since I looked into starting one could be different. Believe Oklahoma is 5%.
How work is you register your charity with the state once approved (can take up to 2 years) you setup a board and decide all your salary and administration cost ie: advertising, employees, office expenses etc. Then you start collecting. Minus all your cost rest you give to the actual charity. But legally only have to give a certain percentage. Rest you can keep. How come the breast cancer awareness raises millions but see how much Susan B Coleman actually give to research in breast cancer. Won’t be much.
Isaiah Wartman and his business partner Luke Mahoney must each pay $22,000 in restitution as well as $3,000 in investigative costs and fees as part of a settlement…
So it seems a total of $75k from 3 different people. Not the full amount, but also not only $25k.
You mean 50k from 2 people? They still profites.
The two I referenced and this one. Sure it’s not the total amount, but more than just $25k from one.
the settlement calls for a co-founder of the fake charity, Michael Peppel, to pay a $25,000 civil penalty
The two allege that they returned the rest of the money when they found out there wasn’t a deal to donate the money to the food bank/organization. And that it was a 3rd individual who actually scammed them into participating.
Hopefully they proved that to the court before being let off with this wrist slap, but it’s a Republican AG and Republican judge, so who knows.
I’m with you. I wanted to preface with “not that I believe it but…”
This is the best summary I could come up with:
The manager of the 2020 campaign that launched the far-right politician Marjorie Taylor Greene to Congress has been ordered to pay $25,000 for his role in a charity scam aimed at capitalizing on the East Palestine train crash.
Isaiah Wartman and his business partner Luke Mahoney must each pay $22,000 in restitution as well as $3,000 in investigative costs and fees as part of a settlement with the Ohio attorney general’s office, which prosecuted the case.
Meanwhile, the settlement calls for a co-founder of the fake charity, Michael Peppel, to pay a $25,000 civil penalty and be banned from starting, running or soliciting for any charitable organization in the state.
The settlement, announced on Thursday, stems from the men’s involvement with the fraudulent Ohio Clean Fund, which sought donations for victims of February’s East Palestine train derailment.
Peppel previously worked as an aide to state and federal Republican lawmakers in Ohio, including the congressman Bill Johnson.
An attorney representing WAMA Strategies told the Cleveland Plain Dealer that Wartman and Mahoney were victims of fraud by Peppel but did not comment on whether they were pursuing legal action against him.
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