IRS Chasing "Ghosts" Instead of Actual Criminals!

Well, if this doesn't beat all!  For the last several days, the most covered news story in the media is about the IRS investigating lawful non-profit organizations because they have certain keywords in their organization's title or mission statement.  In some cases, the IRS reportedly refused to process valid 501(C)(3) applications because they have a conservative stance on government and democracy.  Essentially, it appears the government created an enemy's list against certain non-profit corporations, and are aggressively going after them, even though they are new start-ups with no criminal wrong-doings on file.

 

As I sit here and listen to this report, I am becoming more frustrated  and disillusioned with our Federal Government, in particular the IRS!  When I first started the WAO investigation in 2006, I and another whistle blower went to the IRS requesting they investigate the WAO for money laundering, falsified 990s (Organization's Tax Returns), misappropriation of funds, and so forth.  I was told that unless there was some "big money" involved, the IRS was not interested in pursuing this case.

 

So, over the years, I amassed the evidence needed to show the IRS that the WAO was corrupt and should have its 501(C)(3) status stripped from the organization.  I spent a lot of time putting together a comprehensive package, along with several additional documents (as they came available to me over the years) and mailed them to the IRS in the hopes that perhaps some governmental body would actually do its job! 

 

I also supplied the IRS with information that Carol Asvestas' current "non-profit corporation" is another scam and should be investigated right away.  To this date, the former WAO founder continues to operate a so-called "animal" shelter where she continues to solicit funds for her own personal use.  Only one organization tax return was filed (very interesting read) and she is very late in submitting her second return (990 - Required to file Form 990-N - Income less than $25,000 per year, but I think she may have brought in more than $25k based on her previously filed 990).

I guess the IRS is just too busy chasing political "ghosts" than pursuing actual criminals!  While I realize this posting may lead to a full-blown IRS audit in retaliation against me for posting these remarks, as it so often does to whistle blowers who speak out against the "system", I just want folks to know that I tried every avenue to prosecute those who I believe were not only "animal killers" but "thieves and liars" as well.

 

Running a non-profit animal corporation can be the biggest scam business out there if operated by dishonest individuals. In a future posting I shall demonstrate just how easy it is to start a scam non-profit animal sanctuary or shelter!

Famous For Their Wait and See Position!

As the WAO case comes to a close, I cannot help but reflect on how the WAO investigation was handled by the Texas OAG and USDA-- extremely poor. 

I thought I'd share enough example of our tax dollars at work.  Nicole Garcia, former WAO CEO and President, sent an email to the WAO's attorney requesting a contact person for her W-2, which she said she never received.  Michelle Cryer produced, with some assistance, the 2009 990, which we all now know was another false document produced by the WAO.  It stands to reason, she should have been the one to produce and distribute, with some assistance, the W-2s for employees who worked at the WAO from 2009 to 2012. 

When Nicole needed her copy of the W-2 for 2009 and 2010, she contacted the WAO attorney via email for assistance.  No response.  So she sent another email, this time including the Texas OAG requesting contact information for the person who created/distributed the 2009 and 2010 W-2s.  Below is the email exchange between Nicole and the Texas OAG.  The original email included the OAG attorneys working the case--apparently they decided they were too busy (?) to handle a simple question...who is the point of contact for the W-2?

From: Public Information <public.information@texasattorneygeneral.gov>
To: Nicole Garcia
Sent: Thu, Apr 25, 2013 1:33 pm
Subject: W2's and misc. Information that I am requesting.

Dear Ms. Garcia:

Thank you for your recent email to the Office of the Attorney General.

Please understand the role of this office is to advise and represent state entities and interests as specified in the Texas Government Code. Under Texas law, the Office of the Attorney General is prohibited from providing legal advice or representation to private individuals. However, I hope the following information is helpful.

Texas governmental bodies are subject to the Texas Public Information Act. To make a request for information, contact the Public Information Coordinator of that governmental body. Information that is not exempt must be made available promptly after a written request is received. An agency may charge a nominal fee for making copies of requested information.

The request must be in writing and must be addressed to the governmental body. While hand delivered and mailed requests do not need to be addressed to any particular person, it is a good practice to clearly label your correspondence as a "Public Information Request" or "Open Records Request." However, requests sent via fax or email must be addressed to the public information officer or to the person designated by that officer to receive such requests.

For more information on the provisions of the Public Information Act, visit the open government section of our website at www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/open/index.shtml or call our Open Government Hotline at (877) 673-6839 or (512) 478-6736.

You may wish to formally report your concerns to the Charitable Trusts Section (CTS) of our Financial and Tax Litigation Division. So that CTS can review this matter, please complete our Charitable Trusts Complaint Form. It is available online in the consumer protection section of our website at www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/consumer/charities_complaints.shtml. Please understand, we do not comment on possible investigations. If additional information is needed, CTS will contact you.

If you wish to report misconduct or wrongdoing by a tax-exempt organization on a federal level, please contact the Exempt Organizations Examination Division of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). You can obtain IRS reporting forms at www.irs.gov/Charities-&-Non-Profits/IRS-Complaint-Process-Tax-Exempt-Organizations or by calling 800-TAX-FORM (800-829-3676).

The State Bar of Texas is the agency with authority to regulate attorneys in Texas. To file a formal grievance with the State Bar under the Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct call (800) 932-1900.

Again, thank you for writing. We appreciate your contacting the Office of the Attorney General.

Cheryl Hawkins

Public Information & Assistance

Office of the Attorney General of Texas

What???

Nicole's response...

From: Nicole Garcia
Sent: Thursday, April 25, 2013 3:17 PM
To: Public Information
Subject: Re: W2's and misc. Information that I am requesting.

Thank you for this link, however I am requesting a point of contact of The Wild Animal Orphanage that I can direct my requests to regarding this and other matters not pertaining to

IRS.

I am requesting the information that will provide me with Point of Contact for The Wild Animal Orphanage.

Thank you for your time,

Nicole Garcia

The response...

From: Public Information
To: 'Nicole Garcia'
Sent: Fri, Apr 26, 2013 4:51 pm
Subject: RE: W2's and misc. Information that I am requesting.

Dear Ms. Garcia:

To formally request documents maintained by the Office of the Attorney General, please contact our Public Information Coordinator as follows:

Jordan Hale

Public Information Coordinator

P.O. Box 12548

Austin, TX 78711

(512) 494-8017 (fax)

publicrecords@oag.state.tx.us

Please be aware that the Public Information Act does not require a governmental body to answer questions. For more information on the Open Records process or assistance with your request, please contact our Open Government Hotline at (512) 478-OPEN (6736) or toll-free at (877) OPEN TEX (673-6839). You can also access information through the "Open Records" section of our website at www.texasattorneygeneral.gov.

Sincerely,

Cheryl Hawkins

Public Information & Assistance

Office of the Attorney General of Texas

Is this not ridiculous!  The OAG knows who the contact person is, yet for some reason, they refuse to provide this information, unless Nicole requests the information via Open Records?  What a waste of government manpower and funds!  This is what I went through with these people...unreal!

From: Nicole Garcia
Sent: Friday, April 26, 2013 6:32 PM
To: Public Information; Anthony, James
Subject: Re: W2's and misc. Information that I am requesting.

Thank you but I am asking for a simple point of contact. That is it. Are you informing me that I have to file a public records request and that you can not give me a POINT OF CONTACT for The Wild Animal Orphanage?

I am NOT requesting documents, I am requesting a POINT OF CONTACT, a name of who is now handling WAO concerns and a mailing address for WAO.

Thank you,

Nicole Garcia

Clearly, something weird is going on here... why won't the OAG provide the correct contact information?  What are they hiding?

From: Public Information <public.information@texasattorneygeneral.gov>
To: 'Nicole Garcia'
Sent: Wed, May 1, 2013 1:32 pm
Subject: RE: W2's and misc. Information that I am requesting.

Dear Ms. Garcia

You may wish to contact our office so I can better assist you. You can contact me at (512) 936-7930.

Sincerely,

Cheryl Hawkins

Public Information & Assistance

Office of the Attorney General of Texas

Clearly, the OAG wants to stop this email traffic because, it too, is subject to Open Records!

From: Nicole Garcia
Sent: Wednesday, May 01, 2013 5:18 PM
To: Public Information
Subject: Re: W2's and misc. Information that I am requesting.

I apologize that I do not have the availability in my day due to work hours to contact you.

Please respond by email, what is the name of the point of contact for The Wild Animal Orphanage in San Antonio, TX.

I do not understand the delay to one question, WHO IS THE POINT OF CONTACT FOR THE WILD ANIMAL ORPHANAGE.

I do not need to discuss this by phone as I do not currently have the time to during business hours. This is delaying my ability to file my personal taxes. Please respond ASAP as I have requested this information more than once.

Thank you for your time and have a wonderful day.

Thank you

From: Public Information
To: 'Nicole Garcia'
Sent: Fri, May 3, 2013 4:13 pm
Subject: RE: W2's and misc. Information that I am requesting.

Dear Ms. Garcia:

Because the Wild Animal Orphanage has retained legal representation, the appropriate contact for this organization is their attorney.

As previously stated, the State Bar of Texas is the agency with authority to regulate attorneys in Texas. To file a formal grievance with the State Bar under the Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct call (800) 932-1900.

Sincerely,

Cheryl Hawkins

Public Information & Assistance

Office of the Attorney General of Texas

Back to square one for Nicole as she tried to get the WAO attorney to respond to her original request! After all the email traffic I have seen between the WAO and the OAG, clearly an email from the OAG could have been sent to the WAO, requesting status of the W2 for Nicole.   Once again, our illustrious Texas OAG went out of its way to be helpful... typical.  Looks like they are still taking their famous "wait and see" position when it comes to WAO wrong doings!

Farewell My Sweet, Sweet Endy Dog--I Love You

The year was 1996, and a little boy and his sister arrived at my door with this cute thin golden retriever mix.  They found the dog wandering close to highway 1604 and they knew their dad wouldn't let them keep him.  They asked me if I would give the lost dog a home, so that Happy (my chow chow) wouldn't be alone.

Clever children played the "your dog needs a friend" card.

I didn't want to keep the dog, so I named him ND (new dog) and posted his picture around the neighborhood in hopes of finding him a new family.  No one called.  Endy joined my little fur family a week later.

Sixteen and a half years later, I was faced with the hardest decision of our lives.  Endy lost the ability to walk more than a few feet and he was panting--heavily.  Last year Endy was diagnosed with diabetes and he lost his eye sight earlier this year.  I thought maybe Endy lost his ability to walk from diabetes (he was unable to walk for a short time last year until he was started on insulin shots) and we just needed to adjust his medication.  By Monday night, I knew there was something very seriously wrong with Endy.  I couldn't help shake the feeling that there was something horribly wrong with his heart. I could feel his heart beat and it felt very strong and rather irregular.

Every moment I could, I sat or laid next to Endy, praying he was going to be okay, telling him that I loved him very much.  When I couldn't sit with him, one of his kitty/doggy brothers or sisters sat in my place.

Endy receiving a face cleaning from Toby with Simon watching his progress - April 2013

Tabby often sat by Endy prior to his passing - April 30, 2013

When Endy and I arrived at the vet yesterday afternoon, we were seen right away.  I didn't want to end Endy's life if there was a chance he could be cured. I didn't want to give up any hope that Endy could return home, good as new and eager to eat his favorite treats. He seemed very energetic at the vet's office and I knew he didn't want to leave me that day.  I prayed that we only needed to adjust his insulin dosage so I could take him home again.  I told the staff that Endy and I didn't want to put him to sleep--we wanted to cure him by any means possible.   

The vet tech was unable to find a suitable vein to draw blood, so my vet came in and drew his blood.  Endy's veins were so small and his blood pressure was low, it took a little longer than normal to draw enough blood for the glucose test. 

As it turned out, Endy's sugar level was perfect.  No adjustment to his medication was required.  I mentioned that I thought there was something wrong with Endy's heart and that he could not walk anymore than a few feet at a time.  After listening to Endy's heart for awhile, I was told that, while he could feel his heart beating, he couldn't hear the beats.  Endy was immediately x-rayed and he underwent an ultrasound test. The test results were devastating.

Bottom line without all the long medical terms - Endy had a really bad heart and his spine was disintegrating.  When Endy returned from his tests, he was barely moving as he was exhausted from the examinations. Endy was not going to get better.  He was only going to get worse and he was having problems breathing because his lungs were compromised. Endy had been suffering in silence for some time and I never even knew it.   My brave, brave boy kept his condition from me, giving us more time together.

At this point, I knew that it would be inhumane to return home with Endy.  Odds were he would die while I was at work, and there were no guarantees that he wouldn't suffer.  

I made the incredibly hard decision to say good-bye to Endy, holding his body as he slowly and very quietly  slipped away from me.  Even though Endy was blind, I couldn't help but think we were staring into each other's souls as he slipped from his body to join his brothers Rex and Ardy in Heaven.

The house is so empty now without Endy's smiling face and cheerful tail wags.  He was always excited to see me when I came home -- such unconditional love I received from my precious Endy that I realized he was truly a gift from God. 

My only regret I have was I didn't take enough pictures of my precious boy over the years.  I took so many pictures of other animals, but not enough of my own.  

Below are just a few pictures I took of my "handsome hun, my handsome son, my handsome sunny bun";  I used to say this to my Endy boy all the time and he loved hearing the sound of my voice when I spoke these words to him.

My cats loved Endy, especially Twiggy as she was often seen "guarding" Endy while he slept.

Endy loved, loved, loved his treats!

 

Endy loved opening Christmas presents!

Endy, Ardie, and Rex loved traveling to the land where they could play!

Endy was such a couch potato!  Simon and Rex loved to hang around together...

May God Bless Endy in Heaven Forever and Ever.  Amen.

I love you Endy and you will always be a part of my life.  I pray you and Rex and Ardy are running wild and free together in perfect health and in perfect harmony.  Job well done, Endy.  Now be happy.  Be free for me.  Run like the wind, my sweet, sweet Endy...