Same Old Game, Just a Different Name

As 2013 comes a close, I spent some time reflecting upon some of the major events that occurred this year:  Jinxie died in January, WAO failed to file its operations report for the last seven months, the Leslie and Talley Roads were sold, and finally, Sabu died in December.

Needless to say, the passing of Jinx and Sabu weigh heavy on me as these two precious lions were very near and dear to my heart.

Was I surprised that the WAO refused to submit their operations reports and answer the questions as to why Michelle (Cryer) Anthony was still using the WAO bank card even though the WAO had already placed the animals months earlier?  No.  She and Carol Asvestas routinely spent contributions made to the WAO that was not theirs to spend on themselves, so no surprise there.

It was by chance yesterday, while on was checking out some non-profits’ tax returns on GuideStar.com (I always check out non-profits before I make my end-of-year donations), that I came across Carol Asvestas’ “non-profit” organization called “Animal Shelter Assistance Program’s” 2011 990-EZ form dated June 11, 2013.  Hmmm... I see her return is late again...really late!

In my opinion, this is not a non-profit organization, but rather a scam organization and in my humble opinion no one should ever donate any money because it will no doubt go directly to Carol Asvestas’ pocketbook.  Asvestas is unemployed so she lives off the money sent to the “shelter”—from what I am told by someone has seen the cats and dogs living outdoors on her property, the animals are forced to live in deplorable conditions with no heat when the winter temperatures drops below freezing.  Carol continues to treat animals as expendable creatures because she knows she can always find more on the streets.

As I reviewed the 990-EZ 2011, all I could think was how easy it is to scam people out of money and how easy it is to fool the IRS.  Keep in mind, the IRS refused to prosecute the WAO board of directors for misappropriation of funds, so Asvestas has no problem living off the backs of the dogs and cats, because after all, she has gotten away with it once before!

I've included below two 990-EZ forms that Asvestas’ “CPA” prepared by the clueless Linda Curry to sign as the organization’s Treasurer.  

As more contributions come into the organization, so does the organization’s expenditures. As you go through the returns, keep in mind that the so-called shelter cages were established outdoors near the Asvestas’ homestead and the fundraising operation takes place in Carol's house.   

990 - Animal Shelter Assistance Program - 2011

And here is the previous year's EZ-990 for ASAP:

ASAP 990 2010

You may be wondering how to identify a scam organization.  Well, here are a few things to look for:

Rent:  The organization charges "rent" to the organization after making the decision to start-up and keep the organization on the "founder's" land.  If the non-profit does not own the space it occupies, then any amount of money can be charged for "rent."  In 2010, Carol charged ASAP $9,506 for the use of the outdoor space that the dogs and cats are forced to live on.  Since there is no heat for the animals, no electricity is needed and the animals drink from the same well water as the Asvestas homestead, so there are no water bills charged to ASAP. In 2011, the "rent" increased to $12,879. Should be interesting to see how much "rent" Asvestas will charge ASAP in 2012.

Vague mission statement:  Sadly, the IRS will not verify if the mission statement provided on the tax return is true and accurate. Based on the flimsy mission statement ASAP provided, it's hard to believe Asvestas spent $43,361 on operational expenses.  What is really sad is that only $10, 605 was spend on food, medicine, vet care, and enrichment items for all the dogs and cats, estimated at about 20 or so animals at any given time--the remaining $32,756 is all overhead costs!  No mention of how many animals are taken in each year by ASAP and how many of those animals found new forever homes; not that accurate reporting would have been made on the return.

Board Members:  In the case of this organization, I seriously doubt the ASAP board members spend 5-10 hours per week on ASAP-related board duties.  Are they out there cleaning litter boxes?  Feeding the cats and dogs?  Have they seen the condition of the animals' living quarters?  Do they care that the dogs and cats had no heat during freezing temperatures this year?  Are they so heartless that they don't make sure every dime brought into the non-profit goes  towards the animals' care? 

"Program" Expenses:  How would you know if an organization really spent money on various program expenses (such as storage, travel, meals/meetings, etc) or if the "founder" misappropriated funds by accessing the bank accounts for personal use (in this case I have no doubt Carol Asvestas is the primary account owner for the ASAP banking account and the other board members have no idea what transactions are taking place with this account)? From 2010 to 2011, ASAP expenditures went up 44%--very odd, huh?  As soon as Carol reported more money coming in to the non-profit, her expenditures suddenly increased as well.  By my estimations, Asvestas could have scammed about $40k from ASAP in 2011--all tax free!

Unless the IRS demands a receipt for every expenditure, no one would ever know what happened to the donated funds made to the so-called ASAP "shelter."  

Curious questions:  I would be curious to know where Asvestas "advertised" ASAP; why did automobile charges about tripled in 2011--especially since Carol Avsestas cannot drive; why did computer and internet charges nearly doubled over the previous year; what equipment did she rent; what is actually covered under the "insurance plan"; why is ASAP paying for meals; why did the office expenditures doubled; why is she charging "storage fees" for ASAP; why did the phone bill increase by $1,539 over the previous year; where did she "travel" (Casino?  Beach?); and finally, did Asvestas pay back the so-called "loan" of $11,142 ASAP made to her in 2010?

Scamming money from hard working people is very easy to do--especially when you use sick or handicapped animals or cute little baby animals as the main draw to the organization. Check out ASAP's new website at http://www.animalasap.org/ and what do you see?  Cute kitten and puppies, plus a handicapped dog.  This website shows no current "rescue" pictures or testimonials from others.  Where are the pictures of the cats and dogs living in the outdoor kennels?  The board members are not listed on-line either, you have to check the 990s to see who is supposedly on ASAP's board of directors.  Carol is very careful not to list her name anywhere on the website, but if you look at who owns the website, this is what you'll find:

Domain ID:D167732811-LROR
Domain Name:ANIMALASAP.ORG
Created On:29-Jan-2013 19:26:17 UTC
Last Updated On:31-Mar-2013 03:46:57 UTC
Expiration Date:29-Jan-2015 19:26:17 UTC
Sponsoring Registrar:Wild West Domains, LLC (R120-LROR)
Status:CLIENT DELETE PROHIBITED
Status:CLIENT RENEW PROHIBITED
Status:CLIENT TRANSFER PROHIBITED
Status:CLIENT UPDATE PROHIBITED
Registrant ID:CR135545983
Registrant Name:Carol Avestas
Registrant Organization:Animals ASAP
Registrant Street1:9488 Leslie Rd
Registrant Street2:
Registrant Street3:
Registrant City:San Antonio
Registrant State/Province:Texas
Registrant Postal Code:78254
Registrant Country:US
Registrant Phone:+1.2102093655
Registrant Phone Ext.:
Registrant FAX:
Registrant FAX Ext.:
Registrant Email:
Admin ID:CR135545985
Admin Name:Carol Avestas
Admin Organization:Animals ASAP
Admin Street1:9488 Leslie Rd
Admin Street2:
Admin Street3:
Admin City:San Antonio
Admin State/Province:Texas
Admin Postal Code:78254
Admin Country:US
Admin Phone:+1.2102093655
Admin Phone Ext.:
Admin FAX:
Admin FAX Ext.:
Admin Email:
Tech ID:CR135545984
Tech Name:Carol Avestas
Tech Organization:Animals ASAP
Tech Street1:9488 Leslie Rd
Tech Street2:
Tech Street3:
Tech City:San Antonio
Tech State/Province:Texas
Tech Postal Code:78254
Tech Country:US
Tech Phone:+1.2102093655
Tech Phone Ext.:
Tech FAX:
Tech FAX Ext.:
Tech Email:
Name Server:DNS2.STABLETRANSIT.COM
Name Server:DNS1.STABLETRANSIT.COM
Name Server: 
Name Server: 
Name Server: 
Name Server: 
Name Server: 
Name Server: 
Name Server: 
Name Server: 
Name Server: 
Name Server: 
Name Server: 
DNSSEC:Unsigned

Domain ID:D157839125-LROR
Domain Name:AUCTIONSFORANIMALS.ORG
Created On:17-Dec-2009 22:20:44 UTC
Last Updated On:19-Dec-2013 19:29:53 UTC
Expiration Date:17-Dec-2018 22:20:44 UTC
Sponsoring Registrar:Wild West Domains, LLC (R120-LROR)
Status:OK
Status:AUTORENEWPERIOD
Registrant ID:CR68851785
Registrant Name:Carol Asvestas
Registrant Organization:Animals ASAP
Registrant Street1:9488 Leslie Rd.
Registrant Street2:
Registrant Street3:
Registrant City:San Antonio
Registrant State/Province:Texas
Registrant Postal Code:78254
Registrant Country:US
Registrant Phone:+1.8882752587
Registrant Phone Ext.:
Registrant FAX:
Registrant FAX Ext.:
Registrant Email:
Admin ID:CR68851815
Admin Name:Carol Asvestas
Admin Organization:Animals ASAP
Admin Street1:9488 Leslie Rd.
Admin Street2:
Admin Street3:
Admin City:San Antonio
Admin State/Province:Texas
Admin Postal Code:78254
Admin Country:US
Admin Phone:+1.8882752587
Admin Phone Ext.:
Admin FAX:
Admin FAX Ext.:
Admin Email:
Tech ID:CR68851800
Tech Name:Carol Asvestas
Tech Organization:Animals ASAP
Tech Street1:9488 Leslie Rd.
Tech Street2:
Tech Street3:
Tech City:San Antonio
Tech State/Province:Texas
Tech Postal Code:78254
Tech Country:US
Tech Phone:+1.8882752587
Tech Phone Ext.:
Tech FAX:
Tech FAX Ext.:
Tech Email:
Name Server:NS41.DOMAINCONTROL.COM
Name Server:NS42.DOMAINCONTROL.COM
Name Server: 
Name Server: 
Name Server: 
Name Server: 
Name Server: 
Name Server: 
Name Server: 
Name Server: 
Name Server: 
Name Server: 
Name Server: 
DNSSEC:Unsigned

And let's not forget Carol's latest scam (I wonder if the ASAP board of directors know about this!):

Domain ID:D168729624-LROR
Domain Name:ANIMALSHELTERAMPUTEEPROGRAM.ORG
Created On:19-May-2013 17:27:06 UTC
Last Updated On:19-May-2013 17:27:07 UTC
Expiration Date:19-May-2014 17:27:06 UTC
Sponsoring Registrar:GoDaddy.com, LLC (R91-LROR)
Status:CLIENT DELETE PROHIBITED
Status:CLIENT RENEW PROHIBITED
Status:CLIENT TRANSFER PROHIBITED
Status:CLIENT UPDATE PROHIBITED
Status:TRANSFER PROHIBITED
Registrant ID:CR143578989
Registrant Name:carol Asvestas
Registrant Organization:Animal Shelter Assistance Program Inc
Registrant Street1:9488 Leslie Road
Registrant Street2:
Registrant Street3:
Registrant City:San Antonio
Registrant State/Province:Texas
Registrant Postal Code:78254
Registrant Country:US
Registrant Phone:+1.2106883343
Registrant Phone Ext.:
Registrant FAX:
Registrant FAX Ext.:
Registrant Email:asapcarol@hotmail.com
Admin ID:CR143578991
Admin Name:carol Asvestas
Admin Organization:Animal Shelter Assistance Program Inc
Admin Street1:9488 Leslie Road
Admin Street2:
Admin Street3:
Admin City:San Antonio
Admin State/Province:Texas
Admin Postal Code:78254
Admin Country:US
Admin Phone:+1.2106883343
Admin Phone Ext.:
Admin FAX:
Admin FAX Ext.:
Admin Email:asapcarol@hotmail.com
Tech ID:CR143578990
Tech Name:carol Asvestas
Tech Organization:Animal Shelter Assistance Program Inc
Tech Street1:9488 Leslie Road
Tech Street2:
Tech Street3:
Tech City:San Antonio
Tech State/Province:Texas
Tech Postal Code:78254
Tech Country:US
Tech Phone:+1.2106883343
Tech Phone Ext.:
Tech FAX:
Tech FAX Ext.:
Tech Email:asapcarol@hotmail.com
Name Server:NS53.DOMAINCONTROL.COM
Name Server:NS54.DOMAINCONTROL.COM
Name Server:
Name Server:
Name Server:
Name Server:
Name Server:
Name Server:
Name Server:
Name Server:
Name Server:
Name Server:
Name Server:
DNSSEC:Unsigned

I found this new ASAP web address when I Googled ASAP's telephone number found on the 2011 990 and found this ad:

      MEDORA CRIPPLED DOG NEEDS YOUR HELP - Craigslist

sanantonio.craigslist.org › CL › san antonio › all community › pets

Oct 16, 2013 - PLEASE CALL US AT: 210-430-2834 OR MAKE A DONATION ON LINE: www.animalasap.org THE WEBSITE IS BEING UPGRADED AT THIS ...

and then there was this from Carol Asvestas' Facebook page...

Carol Asvestas

April 29, 2013 via YouTube

• I had such a good time in Austin. Hope you enjoy my Unchained melody. Im going to do a proper cd. so I can raise money for Medora My crippled dog. I will post more on her later. Keep your eyes out. Thank you everyone. I have missed you all but I am getting back to the land of the living.

  

  
  

  CAROL ASVESTAS LIVE AT "EGO'S" "Unchained Melody" NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT INTENDED

  
  

  Move over Etta James. Brit soul singer Carol Asvestas blows the roof off the dump at "Ego's" in Austin, TX April 26, 2013

From what I understand, Carol still sends out newsletters and makes t-shirts (for a donation fee), and she is "trying" to care for the cats and dogs.  I hate that she is using Medora as a money maker and sadly, people will blindly send money for Medora's care.  I wonder if this dog is alive and well today? Does Medora live outside with the rest of the animals?

I worry because it is so cold outside right now and the animals are probably not doing as well as they should.  I've been told they have dog igloos that the dogs and cats can enter to keep out of the cold winds, but no heat.  Who could be so heartless as to make animals suffer so during freezing temperatures?  Carol Asvestas, that's who.

Before donating money or placing your pets in a sanctuary or a rescue, always ask for references and check for credibility. Donors should check the organization's tax return (IRS 990) to see where the sanctuary receives its funds and how much actually goes towards the animals (ie. food, vet care, and new enclosures). Good resources areActivistCash, Charity Navigator, iGive, GuideStar, etc.  You may also want to check to see if the sanctuary is a member of the BBB Charity Wise Giving.  Be sure to see how much is actually spent on animal care versus office/storage/travel/meal/etc. expenditures.  

If the shelter or sanctuary only shows cute pictures that tug at your heart strings or close-up shots of the animals, with no background landscape seen then beware!  You need to see how the animals really live each day.  If you only see the animals' faces, then the non-profit does not want you to see how the animals' quarters look and that should send up some warning signs.  Look for current videos and pictures of the animals.  If the organization posts rescue stories, ask for follow-up reports on each animal's progress at the sanctuary/shelter. If the organization refuses to provide an update on the animal, chances are the animal is either dead or relocated somewhere else and you are not to know this information. Review comments made about the organization on www.GreatNonProfits.org or www.GuideStar.org. If there are no comments, then this should be another warning sign to you.

Sadly, there are too many scammers out there who do not want to work for a living.  Pseudo-sanctuaries and shelters give all non-profits a really bad rap.  I will not donate to a non-profit until I have inspected their tax returns.  I really get suspicious when an organization is late in submitting its returns to the IRS or does not post their tax returns on their website--where's the transparency?  I also check out their websites and read testimonial on the organization.  Yes, it can be a lot of work, but I'm not going to send another dime to a scam organization, like the now closed Wild Animal Orphanage or the now open Animal Shelter Assistance Program.

The IRS and the Texas Attorney General Office refused to prosecute the WAO Board of Directors and they have also refused to look into Carol Asvestas' latest endeavor, ASAP. So for now, I guess people will continue to be swindled by Asvestas.  If you decide to donate your hard earned money to a non-profit, please do your research so you money does not end up in the pocketbook of a crook.

Later - January 2, 2014

I learned today that Carol brought the dogs into the small room off the side of the house -- the dogs are crated and they have heat.  The cats, however, were left outside to endure the cold temperatures with no heat. It is supposed to get down to 32 degrees tonight.  God bless the cats that have to live outside in freezing temperatures with no heat...

Later:  February 2014

It was brought to my attention that Carol Asvestas is indeed using Medora as her handicapped poster dog for her organization! I was able to obtain a copy of the newsletter from a source that does not want to be identified, so I have not included the newsletter portion with the person's address.  Even without this page, I think you'll get a good idea of Asvestas' latest "scam."

ASAP Newsletter Jan 2014 

You know what scares me?  People may actually leave their pets and money in their will to ASAP, so that God forbid, if they should pass away, Asvestas will be there to make sure the pets are "taken care of."  I've seen how she "took care of" other people's pets...it's call "welcome to Talley Road--now fend for yourself!"  Then there's the picture of former WAO animals on her t-shirt order forms!  Auuuggghhh!! These pictures have nothing to do with ASAP.  Shameful.  Shameful.

And what can I say...Dr. Erhlund (aka Dr. Animal Kevorkian) is still in cahoots with Asvestas.  Does wonders ever cease? 

And did you see the back of the envelope text that listed ASAP's "projects and goals."  What a joke!  Carol operates a so-called "pet shelter" in her backyard.  Did you see past ASAP's tax returns posted to this blog?  Most of the money goes towards "ASAP's" overhead "office" costs -- very little went towards vet care and pet food!  Can you imagine sanctuaries calling Carol for advice on how to run a successful organization when her own sanctuary was a complete disaster?  What a joke!

This was a typical newsletter from Carol -- full of "lies and good intentions."  There was not one mention of the shelter animals living in her backyard.  Where are the pictures of the ASAP animals living in their "quality indoor housing"?  Where are the pictures of animals going to their new forever homes thanks to ASAP?  The happy adoption stories?  Yeah, right.  ASAP is just another scam brought to you by Carol Asvestas.