GOSHEN – A settlement
has been reached between the State Attorney General’s Office and
the Wounded Warriors Foundation or Orange County, Inc., for illegally
collecting thousands of dollars in raffle tickets without every conducting
a raffle.
The organization must immediately dissolve and pay $4,200 in restitution
to the consumers it defrauded.
The local foundation – not affiliated with the national Wounded
Warrior Project – sold raffle tickets at $50 apiece to members of
the public claiming that the raffle grand prize was a new 2016 Ford Focus.
The group also claimed that all proceeds would go toward purchasing mobility
and lift equipment for veterans who had suffered severe injuries while
serving in the US armed forces.
The organization raised $4,200 from its raffle ticket sales, but never
actually conducted a raffle.
The attorney general began an investigation into the group and its founder,
Sean McCarthy, after people who purchased raffle tickets came forward.
The investigation revealed that despite claiming it was a charitable organization
supporting wounded vet and soliciting donations from the public, it was
not a legitimate not-for-profit and none of the raffle ticket proceeds
went to supporting wounded veterans.
The settlement agreement requires Wounded Warriors Foundation of Orange
County, Inc. to either immediately dissolve or properly register as a
not-for-profit corporation with the Attorney General’s Office.
McCarthy paid $4,200 in victim restitution and must also pay$250 in civil
penalties and a $5,000 bond.
