Do Hannity and North operate a "charitable" fraud?

[maddezmom]

Do Hannity and North operate a "charitable" fraud?
Sean Hannity and Ollie North say they collect millions of dollars for veterans' kids. But where did the money go?
By Joe Conason
A potentially damaging scandal erupted today that implicates Fox News Channel personalities Sean Hannity and Oliver North in the worst kind of charitable fraud. According to complaints filed with the Federal Trade Commission and the IRS, the two right-wing icons have exploited American veterans for personal and partisan gain. The actions filed by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington accuse Hannity and North of misusing millions of dollars collected by the Freedom Alliance, a charity they promote and control.

Similar accusations were aired recently by right-wing blogger Debbie Schlussel, who complained that the "Freedom Concerts" sponsored by the Freedom Alliance and headlined by Hannity were not donating all proceeds -- estimated at more than $10 million -- to scholarships for the children of wounded and killed service members, as advertised. But now CREW, which had been investigating the same allegations independently before Schlussel posted her warning, has completed its own probe and filed legal actions before the two federal agencies.

The CREW complaint to the FTC charges that "Hannity and Freedom Concerts have engaged in illegal and deceptive marketing practices by suggesting that all money generated by ticket sales for the Freedom Concerts he sponsors each summer goes to scholarships for children of killed and wounded service members." Duane Ward, the promoter who heads Premiere Marketing, which produces the concerts, also runs Premiere Speakers Bureau -- which exclusively represents Hannity and North. "After staging the concerts, Premiere donates an unknown portion of the concert proceeds to the Freedom Alliance," according to CREW.

CREW points out that Hannity often promotes the concerts on his radio and television broadcasts, claiming: "Every penny, 100 percent of the donations are applied to the Freedom Alliance scholarship fund." Appearing with Hannity, North has said: "There’s no overhead. There’s no expenses taken out. Every penny that’s donated or that’s raised through things like the Freedom Concerts goes to the scholarship fund."

more:http://66.102.9.132/search?q=cache:http://www.salon.com/opinion/conason/2010/03/29/hannity/

[Lasher]

1. Hannity has been getting a bigtime pass on this in the MSM.

But thanks to CREW's involvement, I see Politico has picked up on this.

CREW flags Hannity concert series

A Washington watchdog group formally complained to the Federal Trade Commission on Monday that Fox News host Sean Hannity has played on sympathy for wounded troops to raise money, without fulfilling promises to help children of those killed or injured during wartime.

The Center for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington asked the Federal Trade Commission to investigate Freedom Concerts, affiliated with the Freedom Alliance, for falsely promoting that all concert proceeds would be donated to a scholarship fund for the children of those killed or wounded in war.

CREW also asked the Internal Revenue Service to look into the Freedom Alliance for engaging in political activities that are prohibited for tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organizations such as the alliance.

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0310/35160.html#ixzz0jeCNr0dR

Earlier DU thread on this topic here

[DFW]

2. If it's Hannity and North, it's probably NOT a charitable fraud

It's probably just a fraud.

[Earth Bound Misfit]

3. "Freedom Concerts" sponsored by the Freedom Alliance is a SCAM?

I'm shocked! Shocked, I tells ya!

[FreakinDJ]

4. This confirms they are Scum

[mwb970]

5. Everything about Hannity is a fraud.

Why should this be an exception? The guy is such a hopeless doofus that even the Freeps don't like him!

[yellowcanine]

6. Hey what's a little skim scam among friends? Hannity and North just want to "dip their beaks" a

little.

[bemildred]

7. When was either one not a fraud?

I mean does a bear shit in the woods? Are they not entirely of the same ilk as Jim Bakker or Jimmy Swaggart or all the other "send money now!!!" Tele-greed-is-good marketeers?

[classysassy]

8. My right wing mother in law

received a letter from Shaun the shyster requesting money to combat the left wing media from targeting the right wing shills such as Limbaugh and himself.I wonder if old Shaun and his pals are taking advantage of the elderly?