NY Attorney General Gives More Than $640,000 To Organizations Fighting Breast Cancer; money recovered in fraud cases

New York Attorney General Letitia James on Wednesday awarded more than $640,000 to five nonprofit organizations leading the fight against breast cancer; money that was recovered by the District Attorney’s Office from companies and individuals that “defrauded New Yorkers into making donations that ended up in the pockets of telemarketers.”

The attorney general’s office recovered the funds from Breast Cancer Survivors Foundation Inc. (BCSF)a fake organization, and Garrett Morgan, a telemarketer who tricked donors into contributing to a fake Long Island breast cancer organization.

The $644,054.79 in restitution was distributed to the American Cancer Society, Living Beyond Breast Cancer, West Islip Breast Cancer Coalition, Babylon Breast Cancer Coalition and Manhasset Women’s Coalition Against Breast Cancer.

In 2017, the attorney general’s office announced a settlement with BCSF and its president and founder. BCSF posed through phone and mail solicitations as a medical center for breast cancer patients, when in fact it was a fictitious organization that funneled donations to an outside fundraiser, who pocketed 92 cents of every dollar donated to BCSF. . The Prosecution’s agreement required BCSF to immediately close and pay more than $300,000 in restitution, the last of which was received by the prosecutor in 2021. The Prosecution also obtained $40,000 from BCSF’s auditors, McEnerney, Brady & Company LLC and Edmund Brady.

In 2013, the district attorney’s office won a lawsuit against Garrett Morgan for fraud in raising funds for the Breast Cancer Coalition, a fake Long Island organization. The organization raised millions of dollars with petitions claiming there was a “mammogram fund” when there wasn’t, and that the donations would provide free mammograms to uninsured women. Morgan did not pay the judgment and, following a motion by the District Attorney, the court appointed a trustee to collect or sell Morgan’s property to satisfy the judgment. In 2021, the trustee delivered $303,747.86 to the Prosecutor’s Office.

Distributed recovered funds are part of the Bottom feeder operation, which is an initiative by the Bureau of Charities to identify fraudulent charities and their fundraisers. This is done through an analysis of annual financial reports, fundraising contracts and other documents that non-profit corporations file with the Charities Bureau, and has enabled the Prosecution to take appropriate enforcement action against those who commit fraud.

“It is unconscionable that telemarketers and organizations took advantage of the generosity of the public and deprived breast cancer patients of life-saving support during a time of tremendous physical, mental and emotional distress,” said Attorney General James. “Today, I am honored to return these funds to the people and organizations that need them most. My office is proud to partner with these five amazing organizations and help them support breast cancer patients and survivors throughout their journey.”

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