Attorney General Ashley Moody of Florida has announced that the Military and Veterans Assistance Program (MVAP) has recovered nearly $3.5 million for military members, veterans, and their families. The program has been actively involved in assisting veterans and service members affected by scams and deceptive business practices since 2019.
In a statement, Attorney General Moody emphasized the importance of protecting Florida's military community from falling victim to scams. She said, "Florida takes pride in being a military-friendly state, and we must ensure our service members and their families do not fall prey to scams. Our Military and Veterans Assistance Program has recovered nearly $3.5 million for affected military members and families. We will continue working hard to assist everyone who has sacrificed so much for our country from fraud and deceptive business practices."
The MVAP team, which includes dedicated attorneys and investigators, has been instrumental in resolving numerous cases and providing financial relief to military members and veterans. Some notable cases include:
1. Roofing Refund: The MVAP team helped a Florida veteran suffering from PTSD who had sustained significant damage to his home during Hurricane Ian. The veteran had paid a roofing company that failed to fix the damage. The MVAP team intervened and managed to secure a refund of nearly $19,000, along with a new roof for the veteran.
2. Harris Jewelry: The company allegedly misled service members into believing that buying on credit from them would improve their credit scores, regardless of their credit history. Additionally, the company failed to comply with consumer financing laws and added unauthorized charges to the amount financed. As part of the settlement, Attorney General Moody recovered $50,000, which was redirected towards educational materials for veterans regarding financial-related scams.
3. Healing Heroes Network: This organization falsely promised to use donations to help wounded veterans receive medical treatments. However, an investigation revealed that a significant portion of the donations went towards professional fundraisers, advertising, and salaries instead. Attorney General Moody, along with 10 other state attorneys general, secured $95,000 to be allocated to a veterans' charity that provides similar services to those promised by Healing Heroes Network.
4. American Veterans Foundation, Inc.: This organization collected millions of dollars in donations by misleading donors into believing that the funds would assist active military members and homeless veterans. However, less than 3% of the funds actually went towards helping homeless veterans. Attorney General Moody, in collaboration with the Federal Trade Commission, managed to secure approximately $119,000, which was sent to a charitable organization supporting veterans. A portion of these funds was used to build a specially adapted smart home for a veteran injured in the line of duty.
5. Caring Avenues, LLC and Five Dragon Princesses Holdings, LLC, d/b/a Right at Home: These organizations were investigated for their non-compliance with Department of Veterans' Affairs requirements concerning VA benefits applications. As a result of the investigations and settlement agreements, all respondents are now required to comply with these requirements. Additionally, $5,000 was recovered for affected consumers, and $11,804.18 in consumer debts were forgiven.
6. Help the Vets, Inc.: This organization solicited donations to fund grants, medical care, and a suicide prevention program for veterans but misused a significant portion of the collected donations. As a result, approximately $1.25 million in donations were recovered since January 2019 and redirected to charitable purposes that directly benefited veterans.
Attorney General Moody encourages anyone who encounters scams or deceptive business practices targeting Florida service members or veterans to report them at MyFloridaLegal.com or by calling 1(866) 9NO-SCAM.
For more information about the Military and Veterans Assistance Program, visit their website.
This initiative by Attorney General Ashley Moody and the MVAP team highlights the commitment of the state of Florida to protect and support its military community. By recovering millions of dollars and providing assistance to those affected by scams, they are ensuring that the sacrifices made by veterans and service members are not in vain.
Click this link to access more information: https://www.myfloridalegal.com/newsrelease/attorney-general-moody-recovers-nearly-35-million-military-members-and-their-families