COLUMBUS, Ohio (Legal Newsline) - Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine announced an agreement Wednesday with a Florida-based nonprofit and its principals to stop the organization from soliciting charitable donations in the state.
Go Green For The Cause Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, collected $19,000 worth of recycled clothing in the state and claimed the proceeds would benefit environmental causes. Jay Katari and Nicole Leve, the company's principals, allegedly used the money for Katari's for-profit businesses, Bin Boy Management LLC and Presidential Clothing Recyclers.
"Businesses can't create phony charities in order to make more money for themselves," DeWine said. "Ohioans have a right to know how their donations will be used, and in this case, most of their contributions were helping for-profit businesses instead of charitable causes."
Go Green also failed to register as a charitable organization with DeWine's office and Presidential Clothing Recyclers never filed the compulsory $25,000 bond to solicit in Ohio.
Under the terms of an assurance of discontinuance, Presidential Clothing Recyclers will pay a $44,000 fine to DeWine's office to be used for environmental preservation causes, Go Green For The Cause will dissolve and distribute its assets to environmental preservation causes and the defendants agree not to hold any position or participate in soliciting donations for any Ohio-based charitable organization.
Ohio AG announces agreement with Florida-based nonprofit
