Did anyone else ever hear about this fraud?
It would appear that Trump started his campaign defrauding his supporters....

As it turns out, the event aboard the USS Iowa was less of a campaign speech and more of a fundraiser for a group called "Veterans for a Strong America" – an organization that Trump claims represents "hundreds of thousands of veterans."

As best as we can tell, Veterans for a Strong America does not, however, have a sizable membership base. In fact, as Rachel noted on the show on Wednesday, the group does not appear to have any members at all.

What's more, the organization staff itself appears to consist of just one individual: Joel Arends of Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

And Joel Arends of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, has quite a political background.

In the 2014 election cycle, he worked with a Republican U.S. Senate candidate who was recently convicted on election-related crimes – which the candidate blames on advice she received from Joel Arends.

Arends' group has also been under investigation by two Arizona agencies for alleged election irregularities. Arends is also facing allegations in Texas of being involved in a super PAC scam.

And just in case that weren't quite enough, the Associated Press published this report Wednesday:
The Internal Revenue Service revoked the nonprofit status of the veterans benefit organization that hosted and sold tickets to a foreign policy speech by Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump aboard a retired U.S. battleship, The Associated Press has learned. The group's endorsement of Trump at the event also could raise legal problems under campaign finance laws.
So, taken together, this story raises some questions that deserve answers. A political operative facing some legal scrutiny appears to be the sole official at a group, Veterans for a Strong America, which, according to the IRS, has lost its nonprofit status for failing to file tax returns. And yet, the frontrunner for the Republican nomination headlined a fundraiser for the group this week – the organization sold tickets to Trump's event for up to $1,000 a piece – and repeated a claim about the group's dubious membership. How did this happen, exactly?

As Rachel concluded, it now seems as if the Trump campaign "is either in on some kind of scheme with this group that is not a non-profit, or Donald Trump and his campaign got duped and taken for a ride by a guy who, you could suss out pretty easily, with literally one page of Googling and 30 spare seconds. In either instance, that is the kind of base-level failure in a presidential campaign that doesn't bode well for the long-term viability of that candidate – just in terms of the basic functions of what it takes to run."

http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/veterans-strong-america-draws-scrutiny

All I am going to say is this.

I wouldn't put too much faith in this "story".

Because the alleged "facts" simply do not jive, with what the laws of the United States actually say, and with what the IRS require's in the first place, in order to obtain tax exempt status.

Which this "group" obviously at one point did have, if the IRS has since revoked it as the article claimed.

For example, the article claims this guy is the only person in the "group". Yet any organization that applies for, and recieves tax exempt status, also has to have a board of directors.

A LLC or Sole proprietorship, virtually cannot obtain tax exempt status because of some of the rules and regulations the IRS/Fed's require be adhered too by a not for profit.

Unless it's a church, or a hospital facility, and even then the IRS says there's got to be deacons or Bishops etc...who are also involved in the governance of the church.

It can't be just one single person sitting there, saying "yep I'm a church, so I get to be tax free".

Or as this article alleges, one person sitting there saying "yep I"m helping the vets, so I get to be tax free!" LOL

So I question Rachel Madcow's "reporting".


https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p4221pc.pdf

However that said, I have heard of this "group" before. This isn't the first time money's been raised for them, followed closely by questions such as "which vet have they actually helped"?

Last I had heard there weren't any that had come forward saying "yep they helped me out".

If that's true as earlier reports, and this one seem to suggest. Then I say, not only was it right to lose tax exempt status.

But they should never have been given it to start with. And those involved, up to and including Trump himself if he's involved. Should go to jail.

It's what would happen if you or I even attempted to fraudulently obtain tax exempt status, and attempted to use the plight of some veterans out there, to defraud others of their property.

Quote from: daidalos on April 18, 2016, 10:56:20 AM
All I am going to say is this.

I wouldn't put too much faith in this "story".

Because the alleged "facts" simply do not jive, with what the laws of the United States actually say, and with what the IRS require's in the first place, in order to obtain tax exempt status.

Which this "group" obviously at one point did have, if the IRS has since revoked it as the article claimed.

For example, the article claims this guy is the only person in the "group". Yet any organization that applies for, and recieves tax exempt status, also has to have a board of directors.

A LLC or Sole proprietorship, virtually cannot obtain tax exempt status because of some of the rules and regulations the IRS/Fed's require be adhered too by a not for profit.

Unless it's a church, or a hospital facility, and even then the IRS says there's got to be deacons or Bishops etc...who are also involved in the governance of the church.

It can't be just one single person sitting there, saying "yep I'm a church, so I get to be tax free".

Or as this article alleges, one person sitting there saying "yep I"m helping the vets, so I get to be tax free!" LOL

So I question Rachel Madcow's "reporting".


https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p4221pc.pdf

However that said, I have heard of this "group" before. This isn't the first time money's been raised for them, followed closely by questions such as "which vet have they actually helped"?

Last I had heard there weren't any that had come forward saying "yep they helped me out".

If that's true as earlier reports, and this one seem to suggest. Then I say, not only was it right to lose tax exempt status.

But they should never have been given it to start with. And those involved, up to and including Trump himself if he's involved. Should go to jail.

It's what would happen if you or I even attempted to fraudulently obtain tax exempt status, and attempted to use the plight of some veterans out there, to defraud others of their property.

Click through the dates and tabs....

https://www.opensecrets.org/pacs/pacgot.php?cycle=2012&cmte=C00521302

From what I can tell they once had tax exempt status, but lost it. IOW they may have once had a board, but that was long ago. The question is, did this scam artist present himself as in charge, in order to raise steal the contributions? Or is Donnie involved in the scam? Isn't this the charity that Trump supposedly gave $5,000,000 too? Did he really give it?

Quote from: mdgiles on April 18, 2016, 11:42:33 AM
From what I can tell they once had tax exempt status, but lost it. IOW they may have once had a board, but that was long ago. The question is, did this scam artist present himself as in charge, in order to raise steal the contributions? Or is Donnie involved in the scam? Isn't this the charity that Trump supposedly gave $5,000,000 too? Did he really give it?

Exactly!!!
Trump is purported to be this genius businessman, yet falls for a charity scam? I don't think so.