It also has roots in charity fundraising. Treasurer: POLLOCK, KECIA MARIE. . Fundraisers are seeing this is just another easy way to make a buck.. 10. documents in the last year, by the Coast Guard Now I'm not knocking on Mr. Fotis, I'm just reporting on what I have found and I thank him for his service in the Army and as a Police Officer. But because that suggested donors were contributing directly to purchasing new gear, the callers said they were told by managers to adjust their language. In this document, we have created a new online portal located on the Commission website where private entities, including small businesses, may submit information about robocall or spoofing violations. They said to pitch it like it was a charity but as quietly and quickly as you can, slip in that it was a PAC, said Lefler, who worked at TPFE until March. Federal Register issue. . 3. We define private entity as any entity other than (1) an individual natural person or (2) a public entity. If new workers werent making sales, they were quickly fired. Start Printed Page 52843 My job is to deliver a message, and try as best as I can to make sure Im not working for a scumbag, he said. One FAQ, given to callers at Politicause and reviewed by Reuters, shaped the fundraising pitch for asuper PAC called the American Coalition for Injured Veterans. 19. 2021-14711 Filed 9-22-21; 8:45 am], updated on 4:15 PM on Friday, March 3, 2023, updated on 8:45 AM on Friday, March 3, 2023, 105 documents The call center in Sylacauga, visited by Reuters last year, was operated by Las Vegas-based TPFE Inc, a firm controlled by Zeitlin. This prototype edition of the L. 115-141, Div. The calls always seem to come when you least expect it. 154(i), 154(j), and 227, and section 10(a) of the Pallone-Thune Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence Act, Public Law 116-105, 133 Stat. Box 663 Butler, WI 53007 Visit Website (833) 878-5783 Average of 30. To the extent allowed by the Privacy Act of 1974 and our rules, the portal will clearly state that the Bureau may share submitted information with the Department of Justice, Federal Trade Commission, other federal agencies combatting robocalls, state attorney general offices, other law enforcement entities with which the Commission has information sharing agreements, and the registered traceback consortium. Neither Zeitlin nor his attorney would comment on the FTC lawsuit. We enforce federal competition and consumer protection laws that prevent anticompetitive, deceptive, and unfair business practices. documents in the last year, by the Energy Department corresponding official PDF file on govinfo.gov. Black's Law Dictionary defines public entity as a governmental entity, such as a state government or one of its political subdivisions. At least one statute, the Americans with Disabilities Act, defines public entity as any state or local government and any department, agency, special purpose district, or other instrumentality of a State or States or local government.. Republican AGs group sent robocalls urging march to the Capitol - NBC News has no substantive legal effect. In recent years, some telemarketers have used technology to bombard consumers with hundreds of millions of prerecorded calls that are often unwanted and frequently deceptive. For the reasons discussed in the preamble, the Federal Communications Commission proposes to amend 47 CFR parts 0 and 64 as follows: 1. Two of the fundraising companies identified by Reuters employed jail inmates and ex-cons as telemarketers, according to interviews in Alabama with several former employees, as well as court records. While in the Shelby County Jail on a felony charge of stealing a truck, Dellinger said he began working at a center in suburban Birmingham then known as Charity Promotions as part of his government-sponsored work release program. Police Officers' Defense Coalition and Committee for Police Officers' Defense is committed to cleaning up the annals of justice by flushing out those who pretend to represent the people, but instead manipulate the system and the prosecute police officers as a stepping stone to their next higher political office. We have never contributed to Rule of Law Defense Fund. The Commission will publish a document in the At Politicause, for instance, some said they initially were told to say donations would be used to help buy new police and fire equipment. Consumers are already served by the existing informal complaint intake process, and the TRACED Act gives no indication that Congress intended to upset or replace that process. daily Federal Register on FederalRegister.gov will remain an unofficial Adam Piper, the executive director of the Republican Attorneys General Association, and Peter Bisbee, the executive director of the fundraising arm, did not return requests for comment about the robocalls, which were first reported by the watchdog group Documented. For instance, the operation raised $16.8 million for PACs founded by Robert Piaro of Fredonia, Wisconsin, which purported to support police, veterans and people with breast cancer. better and aid in comparing the online edition to the print edition. We do not support any similar activities now, and will not in the future., A Microsoft spokesperson said: We condemn the actions taken by the RLDF and are raising our concerns directly with RAGA. A website set up to promote the rally that preceded the Capitol incursion lists the Rule of Law Defense Fund as one of the participating organizations. The stance of the protestors was not consistent with Attorney General Carrs position on election fraud. When she later realized it was a PAC telemarketer, she felt exploited. The call centers in Alabama, along with others in Nevada, New Jersey, and Florida, raise money on behalf of scam PACs, slang among criticsfor political action committees that purport to support worthy causes but in reality hand over little of the money for political or charitable purposes. Information about this document as published in the Federal Register. This robocall tip line will provide a streamlined process for reporting potential violations, and will enable the Enforcement Bureau to respond quickly to disruptive robocalling events. The Public Inspection page This repetition of headings to form internal navigation links In a small Alabama town at the edge of the Talladega National Forest, next to a Chinese restaurant, stands a shop with mirrored windows and no signs. 2. That could punish well-intentioned organizations, he said. Add 64.1204 to subpart L to read as follows: (a) Any private entity may submit to the Enforcement Bureau information related to a call made or a text message sent that the private entity has reason to believe was in violation of 64.1200(a) or 47 U.S.C. Scam PACs tend to slip through gaps among agencies that govern elections, charities and telemarketing, regulators say, leaving consumers exposed to misleading or fraudulent pitches. Baker said he founded Salt Lake City fundraising firm American Public Resource because he hoped to support worthy goals like helping veterans.The firm was paid nearly $3 million from 2017 through mid-2019 for its work raising money for PACS that spent anywhere from 0% to 7% on their promoted causes. The purpose of the portal is to provide private entities a streamlined method to submit information to the Bureau about suspected robocall or spoofing violations. In Montgomery County, Maryland, the consumer protection office recently won a settlement against a super PAC called Heroes United, run by Zachary Bass of Baltimore. All persons are required to submit truthful and accurate statements to the Commission. 151, 152, 154, 201, 202, 217, 218, 220, 222, 225, 226, 227, 227b, 228, 251(a), 251(e), 254(k), 262, 276, 403(b)(2)(B), (c), 616, 620, 1401-1473, unless otherwise noted, Pub. we proposed to include individuals in the definition of private entity but sought comment on the proposed interpretation, and whether there was a basis for a different interpretation of the term. For further information, contact Daniel Stepanicich, Attorney, Telecommunications Consumers Division, Enforcement Bureau, at (202) 418-7451 or Across the industry, calls are computer-generated before being routed to telemarketers, something Politicause and TPFE employees said allowed their firms to maximize the number of calls and to pester people repeatedly. Document Drafting Handbook Most of the guys that are real good are felons., Regulators responsible for protecting U.S. consumers from potentially unscrupulous fundraisers face a bedeviling new challenge: the scam PAC.. In addition, we note that pursuant to the Small Business Paperwork Relief Act of 2002, we previously sought specific comment on how the Commission might further reduce the information collection burden for small business concerns with fewer than 25 employees. Melaleuca, an online wellness shopping club, gave $290,000 to the Republican Attorneys General Association in 2020. Everyday our protectors in law . Reuters obtained FTC complaint records, with names redacted, through a Freedom of Information Act request. Sections 227(b), (c), and (d) impose specific requirements on telemarketing and prerecorded voice message calls to give consumers the ability to know who is calling and to control the calls they receive. This definition is consistent with common usage. (Super PACs are a type of political action committee that faces no limits on spending or contributions, by virtue of court decisions a decade ago.). Those two fundraising firms, whose ownership is not clear, dissolved Pledge Assistance in July 2018 and Politicause in June 2019, according to Wyoming records. edition of the Federal Register. More information and documentation can be found in our documents in the last year, 853 Congress did not define private entity in the TRACED Act. If you are using public inspection listings for legal research, you Sara Kemerer of the . The data in turn informs the Commission's policy work, serves as a deterrent to companies the Commission regulates and contributes to consumer protection efforts. We wish it was 100, but we have to keep the lights on.. Robocallers using former councilman's name to collect for fake charity Before sharing sensitive information, make sure youre on a federal government site. 03/03/2023, 159 If youre a PAC, and youre raising money for one purpose and doing something else, thats fraud, said Elizabeth Grant, who oversees the Oregon Department of Justice Charities unit. e.g., Twilio recommends that the Commission create one centralized mechanism for reporting all information regarding robocalling and spoofing, whether it is from a whistleblower, company, or consumer. POLICE OFFICERS DEFENSE ALLIANCE PAC - committee overview | FEC - FEC.gov Paxtons office did not respond to a request for comment. Reuters interviewed a dozen donors to PACs in the informal network. Lisa Cavazuti is an investigative reporter for the NBC News Investigative Unit. Caller name: Committee for Police Officer's Defense. legal research should verify their results against an official edition of Some political fundraising operations change locations frequently, operate under different names or dissolve and resurface under another name, making it difficult to trace their ownership, activities and connections to one another. 1. Start Printed Page 52841 Our past robocall enforcement actions have relied extensively upon information from private entities. Police officer's scam robocall warning goes viral - ABC News An official website of the United States government. Register documents. documents in the last year, 26 (269) 257-6522 is a Fake Police Charity Robocall Do not answer. on They are looking for naturals, said Jones, adding that good performers could take home $1,000 to $1,500 a week. 12. The Commission vigorously enforces violations of section 227. The portal will request private entities to submit certain minimum information including, but not necessarily limited to, the name of the reporting private entity, contact information, including at least one individual name and means of contacting the entity ( For further information, contact Daniel Stepanicich, Attorney, Telecommunications Consumers Division, Enforcement Bureau, at (202) 418-7451 or This document has been published in the Federal Register. Memo from Chair Lina M. Khan to commission staff and commissioners regarding the vision and priorities for the FTC. Reuters gains rare access into the world of fundraising for these charitable-sounding political action committees, a tiny but profitable niche in the U.S. telemarketing industry. Jessica Blanchard, 23, who worked at Politicause in 2018, said many callers either were addicts from halfway houses or jail inmates on work release. FAIRFAX, Va., July 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Committee for Police Officers' Defense, the political arm of Police Officers' Defense Coalition, recently launched a . POLICE OFFICERS DEFENSE ALLIANCE PAC. Accordingly, During today's hearing, the Committee heard from local law enforcement, the U.S. These can be useful About 82% of the money, $13.8 million, went to Zeitlins firms, while Piaro collected $190,613 in salary from the PACs, according to the records. A Pro-Trump scam PAC returns with a vengeance - POLITICO documents in the last year, by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 11. Quoting from its website, the "Committee for Police Officers' Defense is a 527 Committee designed to seek out radical prosecutors, judges and district attorneys." Another organization is. Despite currently transitioning into my role as the newly elected chairman of RLDF, it is unacceptable that I was neither consulted about nor informed of those decisions. The documents posted on this site are XML renditions of published Federal The Do Not Call law, the FTCs major weapon in policing telemarketing, does not apply to political calls, which have protections under the U.S. Constitution. Authority delegations (Government agencies). Richard Zeitlin, the biggest fundraiser in the loose network identified by Reuters, told a reporter in a brief interview that he had closed down all of his call centers, saying I wanted a change in direction. Asked about ex-employees claims of deception in his companies PAC fundraising practices, he declined to discuss specifics. Zeitlin did not respond to questions about this issue. OMB, the general public, and other Federal agencies will be invited to comment on the new or modified information collection requirements contained in this proceeding. shall send Each document posted on the site includes a link to the These so-called scam PACs and their fundraisers exploit the gray zone between U.S. election finance and state charity fundraising laws, regulators told Reuters. Solicitors asking you to donate to charity. In 2018, the Federal Trade Commission sued Zeitlin for allegedly deceptive practices in charity fundraising, but the case has been suspended because a grand jury was investigating, according to court documents. All told, the PACs took in $83.1 million during the 2 year period examined by Reuters, about 82% of which went to the eight fundraising companies, according to the campaign disclosures required by the FEC. The authority citation for part 64 continues to read as follows: Authority: Thus, we have minimized the impact on small businesses. One Piaro committee, Americans for the Cure of Breast Cancer, garnered $1.6 million in donations through Zeitlins fundraising operations and made one charitable contribution, $10,000 to the Susan G. Komen Foundation less than 1% of the total raised, campaign filings show. Lastly, we delegate authority to the Bureau to make further decisions about administration of the portal. We were very clear with RAGA that we could not continue our relationship unless we had assurances that they take steps to ensure that nothing like this would happen again..
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