MEDIA CONTACT:

Andrea Bitely
Megan Hawthorne
517-373-8060
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 18, 2016

Schuette Issues Cease and Desist Order

to Deceptive Metro Detroit Firefighter
Fundraiser
In the filing, Schuette alleges that Firefighters Support Services
charitable solicitations have included misleading, deceptive, or false
statements, unable to identify any grants of food, shelter, or clothing
to families who have been burned out of their homes
LANSING Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette today announced his office has
filed a Notice of Intended Action and Cease and Desist Order against Firefighters
Support Services of Wyandotte, and its professional fundraiser, Associated Community
Services of Southfield.
In the filing, Schuette alleges Firefighters Support Services have included misleading,
deceptive, or false statements in their solicitations.
This is another example of a sympathetic causefirefighters and those losing their
homes from firebeing exploited by scammers, Schuette said. He also cautioned
donors: The best defense against such scams is to do your homework or donate to a
known charity. You dont know whos on the other end of the call or whether you can
trust them.

The solicitations inform call recipients that Firefighters Support Services helps
firefighters get better equipment and helps families that have been burned out of their
homes by providing them with food, shelter, and clothing or financial support.
During the period of these solicitations, Firefighters Support Services has raised $4.2
million from donors throughout the nation, yet was unable to identify any grants of food,
shelter, or clothing to families that have been burned out of their homes. Firefighters
Support Services was able to identify three grants totaling $5,586.06 to individualsnot
familiesfor the purpose of fire loss relief. These grants represent one-tenth of one
percent of the $4.2 million raised during this period.
The Notice of Intended Action orders Firefighters Support Services and its fundraiser
Associated Community Services to cease and desist these misleading, deceptive, and
false solicitations and advises Firefighters Support Services of the Attorney Generals
intention to bring a civil action seeking redress, including restitution, injunctive relief,
and civil fines of up to $10,000 per violation for every one of Firefighters Support
Services more than two million violations.
The Notice of Intended Action also alleges that Firefighters Support Services has made
numerous false statements on its annual financial statements that it files with both the
IRS and the Attorney General. In particular, Firefighters Supports Services claims to run
a blanket donation program for fire stations valued at roughly $500,000 per year. The
value of the program, which is based on a valuation of $20.83 per blanket, is vastly
overstated. In fact, the blankets were purchased by Congress, i.e., by taxpayers, for
$4.97 per blanket with the purpose of combating homelessness. The per-blanket cost
even includes free shipping to charities around the country that have been endorsed to
participate in the program. Firefighters Support Services, which has not been endorsed
to participate in the Congressional program, obtains the blankets from the charity World
Assist and pays thousands of dollars per shipment to a third-party, Charity Services
International, to ship the blankets to various fire stations around the country. Firefighters
Support Services does not disclose this charitable program to donors. In reports to the
IRS and the Attorney General described the activity as providing medical supplies to
various fire departments.
Schuette also reminded that some telemarketers, such as Associated Community
Services in the present case, keep 85% or more of each donation. Schuette
encouraged donors to research their own charities and to give directly to the charity.
For more information, see the Attorney Generals 2015 Professional Fundraising
Charitable Solicitation Report.
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