James G. Sheehan
NYSOAG Charities
Bureau
120 Broadway, 3rd
Floor
New York, NY
10271
Dear Mr Sheehan
I read with
interest in the press a couple of weeks ago allegations that Donald Trump’s
charity had been instructed, by the New York attorney general, to cease
fund-raising because his “foundation was violating state law by soliciting donations without
proper authorization.”
I wonder if the
same principle applies to all charities that fail to register in New York state
to solicit money and hence avoid the “rigorous annual audits that New York state
requires of charities that seek the public’s money”?
I am referring
to a charity by the name of the Cambodian Children’s Fund (CCF).
 |
| John & Cammie Rice |
CCF describes
its status as a US charity on its website with the following:
“Cambodian Children’s Fund (CCF) is registered in the US as a 501(c)3
not-for-pro t organization no.20-0764162. Donations in the US are
tax-deductible to the fullest extent of the law. CCF is also registered in the
State of California and the Kingdom of Cambodia."
I have reason to
believe that CCF is not registered to “seek the public’s money” in New York
state. At least I have been unable to find any record that the Cambodian
Children’s Fund is registered in your state. If I have made an error in this
respect I trust that you will correct me.
The press report
that I read (I have pasted the link below) quoted you as follows:
“The
Trump Foundation must immediately cease soliciting contributions or engaging in
any other fundraising activities in New York,” wrote James G. Sheehan, the head
of the charities bureau in the office of Attorney General Eric Schneiderman.”
If the Cambodian
Children’s Fund is likewise not registered in New York does the same apply to
it? Must CCF cease its fund-raising activities?
I am copying
this to Valerie Post, involved in raising money for CCF, in the event that she
is unaware of CCF’s lack of authority to solicit donations in New York. I am
copying this also to some Cambodia-based (and other) journalists who may have
an interest in this matter.
I quote again
from the article I read in the press:
“In
addition, Sheehan wrote, the Trump Foundation was ordered to supply the state
with all the legal paperwork necessary to register as a charity that solicits
money within 15 days. Trump’s foundation must also look back and
determine whether it violated state law in prior years by soliciting money
without authorization, Sheehan wrote. If so, it must provide the financial
audit reports it should have provided for those years. Those reports, Sheehan
said, are also due within 15 days. If
Trump’s foundation does not comply, Sheehan wrote, it will be considered ‘a
continuing fraud upon the people of New York.’”
It is my
understanding that the Cambodian Children’s Fund has raised millions of dollars
in New York state in the past 5 years. If this charity is not registered in New
York, CCF is practicing “a continuing fraud upon the people of New
York”.
In the event
that CCF has been registered in New
York this past 5 years could you please point me to where I can find evidence
of this registration?
yours sincerely
James Ricketson
My Friend of many years, David Fletcher rots in a Cambodian prison for a crime he did not commit while Scott enjoys a lavish lifestyle at the expense of the poor people he is supposed to be helping, With donated money.
ReplyDeleteDavid's crime was actually helping the children; he took very modest donations and his own money to buy food which he gave away without fanfare. However it did get Scott's attention; What might have happened if David's work was found to be the real help that these people needed; Well We will probably never know how much was lost by putting David Fletcher in prison;
A great time of year to be hanging out in New York with Salman Rushdie, Heather Graham and other celebs and no doubt a few pretty CCF boys and girls on hand dressed in their best to be paraded in front of rich people who have drunk Neeson's Kool Aid. What a joke.
DeleteI am not 100% sure that Neeson saw David Fletcher as a huge threat; just that he did not want anyone on his turf. Neeson decided early on that he was going to be king of the rubbish dump and didnpt want any of the limelight shining on anyone else.
DeleteI think it highly likely that Neeson himself had no evidence at all that Fletcher was grooming young girls (and nor has any ever been presented by anyone) but may have heard it from Peter Hogan - a very mean-spirited man who used Khmer440 to attack anyone he didn't like. ANd Hogan had plenty of targets. I don't think he liked many people and his attacks caused very real damage to lots of people.
In response to a question asked of me in an email: "Are you sure you have your facts right?"
ReplyDeleteHere is what I received by way of instructions on how to check to see if the Cambodian Children's Fund is registered in New York:
"Registrations by charities in New York are a matter of public record. You can look at our website www.charitiesnys.com and click on search registry. Type a portion of the name of the charity and it will show you registration and annual filings. The annual filings should show if they are registered for fundraising purposes."
I checked and could find no mention of CCF. I asked two other people to check to make sure that I had not made a mistake. they could find no reference either.
If CCF is registered and all three of us have failed to find it I am sure Mr Sheehan will clarify this for us.
And if anyone reading this wants to check to see if I have made an error, please do and get back to me.
DeleteI have checked. CCF is not registered but who gives a fuck. The money is being spent on a good cause
DeleteThe "good cause" is to provide Neeson a lavish lifestyle and fat bank account. It is unbelievable that the Cambodian press will not expose the fraudulent activities of this lowlife. If he does try to register CCF in New York, perhaps James should provide officials in New York, as well as California, about the frauds he has exposed on this blog.
DeleteHey, Anonymous 8.29, I checked too and found out CCF is not registered. If this scam doesnt matter which of Neeson's scams does matter to you? Or is it OK to lie and cheat if you are onto a good cause?
DeleteAnonymous 8:29, you consider it to be a "good cause" to be taking children from their families to be raised in institutional care? What a demented individual you are!
DeleteI have had my concerns about this NGO for years ..
ReplyDeleteThanks for keeping us informed
ReplyDeleteOh my God!
ReplyDeleteThis is what will go through the mind of those directly or indirectly engaged with the CCF. They don't dare to say anything because anything would be far from the truth. Every person mentioned in your blog has a reason to keep quite. It's something on their conscience. They all were celebrated as the ultimate do-gooders, surrounding them with smiling Khmer Kids (labeled as Orphans ?) at glitzy dinner-fundraising parties. CCF's public relation managers must have been very busy writing these oh-my-god press releases and found themselves on cloud 7 after seeing them gobbled up by the international cut-and-paste media.
I don't think this system, used by many NGO in Cambodia, will ever change. Publishing you did something GOOD will not ever be questioned by the media because that will make it look like they 're defending BAD. I don't have any doubt that the likes of Scott Neeson will first do it for their ego and second for the money and power to impress people that have no idea what is really going on. The Cambodia newspapers where are they?
So where is the Cambodian press on the multitude of Neeson scams that Ricketson has exposed? IF Neeson pays his teachers $250/month (remember, they are part-time, as the vast majority of children go to government schools) and IF he pays them on a 12 month contract (highly unlikely), his 3 million in salaries would pay 1000 teachers!! Who is kidding who here and where is the donor money going?
ReplyDeleteIs there any Neeson scam that will get the Cambodian media to get of their asses and expose him! Jesus wept!
DeleteAny readers of this blog resident in the United States interested in obtaining copies of CCF financial statements can do so, in accordance with New York law (Article 7-A, Executive Law, “Solicitation and Collection of Funds for Charitable Purposes”)
ReplyDeleteDear Scott Neeson and the Cambodian Children’s Fund board
I am interested in making a contribution to CCF in the state of New York.
I note on the New York Charities Bureau website the following:
“All solicitations must advise potential contributors that they may obtain a copy of the soliciting charitable organization's financial report from the Attorney General or from the organization itself.”
As a potential contributor could you please supply me with a copy of CCF’s New York financial reports for the past five years?
yours sincerely
James Ricketson
Problem is CCF is not registered as a charity in New York so this is not going to work!
DeletePrecisely.
DeleteIf you want to know more about the multiple breaches of New York state law that CCF is guilty of, visit:
https://www.charitiesnys.com/pdfs/statute_booklet.pdf
Dear fellow journalists (Cambodia Daily, Phnom Penh Post)
ReplyDeleteIt has been suggested to me that newspapers such as the Phnom Penh Post and Cambodia Daily do not have the resources necessary to pursue stories such as the one I am pursuing with Scott Neeson.
I have been pointing out NGO orphanage/NGO scams to both the Post and the Daily for 7 years now but, other than in the case of Somaly Mam, none have been explored. Why is this? They will expose corruption within the Cambodian government but turn a blind eye to corruption within the NGO industry!
In the case of Neeson and CCF failing to register their charity in New York the response might be, “So, what’s the big deal?” And this could be the response to each of Neeson’s various scams. It is the accumulation of scams, lies, evasions, half-truths, spin etc that should, in my view, lead to questions being asked by the Cambodian media.
I know that some of the questions I have asked in these past four blog entries, have been asked by other journalists. I know that they, like me, have received no answers and that, with the passage of time, it has become increasingly difficult to even get to talk with Neeson on the phone. He avoids journalists like the plague. And the reason is simple. He does not want to be questioned; does not want to be transparent and definitely does not want to be accountable.
My own feeling is that the Cambodian media has failed in its duty to hold NGOs as accountable as it holds the government. The silence of the media, the silence of human rights organizations when it comes to corrupt NGOs, enables them to flourish.
Today, any of you could call Scott and ask him a simple question: “Is CCF registered in New York state?” Simple question. And you will already know the answer because you have checked. You might then ask Scott any one (or more) of the questions I have asked of CCF’s board members in my last 4 blog posts. Questions like: “How do you account for the $3.7 salaries bill?”
cheers
James
THE FAILURE ON THE PART OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE MEDIA TO WRITE ABOUT NGO SCAMS HAS BEEN APPARENT FOR THE 21 YEARS I HAVE BEEN VISITING CAMBODIA:
ReplyDeleteMonday, August 26, 2013
An open letter to the Cambodia Daily and the Phnom Penh Post re 'orphanages' and NGOs 'rescuing' children from their poor families!
http://citipointechurch.blogspot.com/2013/08/an-open-letter-to-cambodia-daily-and.html
Dear Cambodia Daily and Phnom Penh Post
Since 2004 the number of children living in orphanages in Romania has dropped by close to 75%.
During the same 9 years the number of orphans in Cambodia has risen by roughly 75%.
Why is this?
In Rwanda, a country that has suffered a more recent genocide than Cambodia, the number of orphanages has declined from over 400 five years ago to only 33 in 2012.
Given that only 25% of the children in Cambodian ‘orphanages’ are actually orphans, why are there close to 300 orphanages in Cambodia?
The Rwandan government has promised to close all orphanages in the country by 2014. Why is the Cambodian government doing nothing to close orphanages nd see the children in them returned to their families and communities?
Are some, or perhaps many, of these Cambodian ‘orphanages’ in fact lucrative businesses that have been set up to by unscrupulous NGOs primarily to make money through donations and sponsorships?
Is there any English language newspaper in Cambodia prepared to ask such questions or are both the Cambodia Daily and the Phnom Penh Post terrified of being sued by NGOs merely for asking them?
Given that studies by the World Bank and Save the Children (amongst others) reveal that orphanages cost between 6 and 10 times as much as it costs to support a child within a family, why are NGOs not helping poor children within a family and community context?
How many Cambodian children have no uncles, aunts, cousins or others in their extended families or village who could take care of them if they received assistance from NGOs?
Since 2000 American academics have kept track of 136 children from orphanages in Romania. They have found that the IQ levels of children who remain in large institutions are lower than those put in foster care. Both groups had lower scores than those who were not institutionalized at all. This is but one of the studies that confirm the deleterious effects of institutional living on children.
Given that even the best NGOs, running the most caring of institutions and with the very best of intentions, could assist between 6 and 10 times as many poor kids in a family and community context why is it that they are so wedded to an institutional model that has been proven to be damaging to children?
...TO BE CONTINUED...
...CONTINUING...
DeleteIs it a matter of concern to the NGO community that some of its members are engaged in human rights abuses in the way the deception they practice to remove children from their families, in the way they alienate the kids from their families, culture and religion? Is it a matter of concern to the English language media in Cambodia? If so, why is there virtually no investigative journalism that seeks to get answers to questions of the kind being raised here?
Whose needs are being met when well-meaning NGOs set up and run ‘orphanages’ and refuges for ‘victims of human trafficking’? The needs of the children and their families or the needs of NGOs to feel wanted, loved, to ‘making a difference’, to be seen by others as being compassionate, generous, kind-hearted and an all around ‘good person’ or, in the case of the most unscrupulous, to make a quick and easy buck?
How many expatriate NGOs who make their living and get a boost to their self-esteem raising the children of poor Cambodian families in institutions have ever wondered how they would feel if, as a result of their own poverty, they were denied the opportunity to bring their own children up? How many expatriate NGOs with children would be happy to have their visiting rights to their kids limited to 2 hours per month or, in some cases, to 2 hours per annum? How many expatriate NGOs with children would want to see their children brought up with a different set of religious beliefs to the ones practiced by the NGOs themselves. Imagine, as a Christian, (for Christian NGOs reading this) if your poverty left you with little or no choice but to seek the help of a Buddhist NGO so that your children could eat, receive medical attention when ill and get a halfway decent education. How would you feel if the Buddhist NGO then refused to allow your child to take part in Christian celebrations but instead inculcated them with Buddhist beliefs?
...TO BE CONTINUED...
...CONTINUING...
DeleteIs it possible for an NGO to remove children (and in particular, girls) from their families because the NGO ‘believes’ that the child is ‘at risk’? If so, does the Cambodian Ministry of Social Affairs conduct any investigation itself to determine whether the child is genuinely ‘at risk’ or has been defined as such by an NGO wishing to recruit from poor families ‘victims’ that it can then use to raise money through donations and sponsorships? And, when money has been so raised, how much of it is used to help the very poor families from which these children come to lift themselves out of dire poverty and dependence on NGOs and provide them with the wherewithal to be self-sufficient and are so able to take care of their own children?
Does the Ministry of Social Affairs adequately monitor the activities of NGOs running ‘orphanages’ and refuges that have ostensibly been set up to rescue ‘victims of human trafficking’? If not, why not?
Are questions such as these raised and discussed within the NGO community? Or does a conspiracy of silence prevail because for a large number of NGOs caring for ‘orphans’ and ‘rescuing victims of human trafficking’ provide them not just with their bread and butter but with a boos to their egos and the illusion that they are ‘good’ people making a positive contribution to improving the lot of poor Cambodians? If poverty alleviation is the goal of so many NGOs why is it that so many of them are concerned primarily with the poverty of the children and not with the parents?
Why do NGOs such as Citipointe church’s SHE refuge go unchallenged by the English speaking media in Cambodia when they deceive materially poor parents into giving up their daughters on a short term basis, keep them for years on end (regardless of the parents’ wishes) and advertise them as ‘victims of human trafficking’?
If there is no debate within the NGO community about the efficacy of the work done by ‘orphanages’ and ‘rescue centres’ (and I see little evidence of it) why do the Cambodia Daily and the Phnom Penh Post not start such a debate? Surely it is one of the important roles of the media to raise questions such as these, to foster dialogue and debate and to seek answers from those NGOs who formulate policy which, regardless of their good intentions, results in the breaking up of families and the alienating of Cambodian kids from their families, religion and culture?
Who in Cambodia, in the interests of transparency, accountability and safe-guarding the human rights of ‘orphans’ and their parents is going seek answers to such questions and hold unscrupulous NGOs responsible for their actions?
If the Cambodia Daily and the Phnom Penh Post are not going to ask the questions that need to be asked, who will?
Bernie Krisher's got an 'understanding' with Neeson. Simple as that. The daily will NEVER give Neeson a hard time. The Post? Neeson owns some of it so you won't get any joy there either. Neeson's a clever fucker. He's knows how to spend his money. Not his of course. Other people's. A clever confidence man and crook is out Neese.
ReplyDeleteHas Neeson yet produced any evidence that "David Fletcher was grooming young girls"? From what I can tell Fletcher is imprisoned based on Neeson's statement, for a crime that never happened, in a location that didn't exist, while Fletcher wasn't even in Cambodia! WTF!!
ReplyDeletecharity scams are causing a lot of trouble to genuine people out there. It is always good to contact a reliable chargeback firm for getting money back.
ReplyDelete