Feed The Children Charity Under Criminal Investigation By Oklahoma Attorney General

OKLAHOMA CITY — A criminal investigation reviewing the activities at the Oklahoma City-based hunger relief charity Feed The Children during the tenure of its founder is under way, according to documents filed by the state Attorney General's office.

The document filed Monday in Oklahoma County District Court also opposes a motion to overturn the attorney general's dismissal of founder Larry Jones' lawsuit. The motion asked that a receiver be named to operate the agency.

Attorney General Scott Pruitt's office declined further comment in a statement released Wednesday, saying it "cannot comment on an active criminal investigation."

Feed The Children was founded by Jones and his wife in 1979 and has become one of the world's largest charities. It is known for Jones' televised pleas for donations as a hungry child is seated beside him.

Assistant Attorney General Julie Bays said during a court hearing in April that the office was reviewing allegations of misuse of funds at Feed The Children and that the case "could end up a criminal matter."

Monday's filing said reopening Jones' lawsuit would impede a criminal investigation "into possible violations of law during Jones' tenure as president of Feed The Children." The filing did not say what it is being investigated or when the review became a criminal investigation.

Monday's filing did not target the charity, saying the office "will continue to monitor Feed The Children, but at this time is confident in the direction the charity has taken."

Jones filed a lawsuit after being fired by the charity's board of directors in November 2009, when the board learned Jones had installed recording devices in executives' offices. A second lawsuit filed by Jones alleging wrongful termination is pending.

Feed The Children filed a countersuit accusing Jones of taking bribes and misusing the charity's funds. Jones denied the allegations.

Jones asked then-Attorney General Drew Edmondson's office to intervene in the first lawsuit, which Edmondson did before dismissing the case in December.

Pruitt took office Jan. 10.

Jones' attorney, Mark Hammons, did not immediately return phone calls to The Associated Press seeking comment.

"If Larry Jones had anything to hide, he wouldn't have invited a law enforcement agency to take a look at the operations in the first place," Hammons told The Oklahoman for a story published Wednesday.

Feed The Children said in a statement Wednesday that the agency is not under investigation.

"We are pleased to read in the briefing that the Attorney General's office `is confident in the direction the charity has taken,'" the statement said. "Feed The Children is confident in the legal system and will cooperate fully. We are proud of the changes being made at Feed The Children and look forward to continuing our good work."

In December, the charity named retired American Heart Association CEO Cass Wheeler as its interim president.

Comments

[atexasdem]

12:08 PM on 01/30/2011

For those who want to make a difference I would encourage them to support charities in their local communities. Local charities typically don't have massive payrolls or a hundred thousand a year CEO. With a local charity you see what your contribution is doing with your own eyes.They say that "charity begins at home" and there's some truth to that. Let's save America, one community at a time. Beginning with your own.

[Bluemax1]

05:06 PM on 02/01/2011

Fanned

[fortressfountain]

10:49 AM on 01/30/2011

Wow they are under investigation for doing what our corporations and politicans do?

[TheFabOne]

05:30 PM on 01/28/2011

How do you get booted from your own organization for checking on other employees to make sure THEY'RE not stealing you blind?

[jimtpat]

06:24 PM on 01/31/2011

He FOUNDED the organization to be a non-profit corporation. The law states that those have to have a Board of Directors. Those people decide if the founder gets to keep whatever job he creates for himself. Just like a for-profit corporation. Ask Steve Jobs about getting booted from Apple some years back.
He could have founded a one-person sole proprietorship, which may be the only option open to him now with his work record.

[RichardWalden]

01:31 PM on 01/28/2011

The Oklahoma authorities have long turned a blind eye to Feed the Children's almost comical depredations. I suggest they do some easy research starting with articles in the Chronicle of Philanthropy going back 20 years. For me the signal image of Larry Jones' style was his setting up a TV camera in front of the smoldering remains of the Okla. City Federal Building, getting iconic Okla. football coach Barry Switzer to join him and making an appeal for relief funds...which brought in millions despite the fact that there were few survivors who needed the funds. There was extremely negative press commentary after that...and then there was indicted Clinton Agriculture Secy Mike Espy being paid to serve on Feed's board...and then there was the for profit businesses set up by the Jones family whose only customer was Feed....and the pilfering of donated products by its warehouse staff...and the fake audit report using letterhead of a major accounting firm which had refused to do any further audits of Feed's books...if Jones didn't hide behind being also a religious mission, his ass would have been toast years ago....and he's not alone among televangelists who scam money after disasters.

[catzoned]

07:47 AM on 01/28/2011

Posted by: HP Moderator Angie Tyne 1

For those who wish to vet their charities here is a starting point:
http://www.bbb.org/charityreviews/national/

This site shows a variety of charities w/disclosure of what percentage of their donations go to the intended purpose.

Since the organization focused on one bad individual it made it difficult to understand this is a good charity with a worthy cause. www.feedthechildren.org

[Candide33]

01:40 AM on 01/28/2011

Like we couldn't see this one coming!

[realitytrumpsbull]

12:03 AM on 01/28/2011

No cause or institution, no matter how noble, is inherently immune to the machinations of people of less-than-stellar character. Or just good old gross mismanagement. Or a lot of other problems.

[zeugma]

11:19 PM on 01/27/2011

The only way we can ensure that charity isn't wasted is to be personally involved. The big charity organizations have the same faults as large companies and governments do, little accountability and huge overhead. Do what you can in your own community where you can make a difference.

[bornefree]

10:13 PM on 01/27/2011

Feed the ego and your pocketbook.

[tyger]

08:13 PM on 01/27/2011

This charity has been around for awhile, since the eighties. I always thought it to be a suspicious charity.

[catzoned]

08:19 PM on 01/27/2011

I always wondered about the overseas Christian organization myself. Anyway, read the article please. The organization is fine. It is one questionable person. One person, not the charity. HP you sink your crusadaes on this thread with a "gotcha" headline. Do you want to help people or not?

[JustLucky]

12:48 PM on 01/28/2011

Here's a lengthy report on them in the American Institute of Philanthropy's resource:
http://www.charitywatch.org/articles/feedchildren.html

[Stephanie T]

08:13 PM on 01/27/2011

Is there a straighter road to hell than stealing from children? (Not saying it happened here)

[Alex Grissom]

08:03 PM on 01/27/2011

I remember seeing a full blown expose' on this guy and his charity back around 1990 or so. The same one had Bob Tilton on it. About time they round up some of these hustlers.

[GayIthacan]

07:48 PM on 01/27/2011

'underway' is one word, HuffPo.

This is the SECOND article I have found this error in.

Suggest some of your 'writers' take a class in Spelling, Grammar and Usage 101.....

[catzoned]

08:03 PM on 01/27/2011

Actually, the article about the doctor helping the homeless is so poorly written it's hard to comprehend. This one isn't much better. It's the spirit of people helping those down and out that counts, Gaylthacan. Charactor does count. You can criticize or you can help, friend. What brought you to this thread?

One week we had we had ponchos, food, tarps, sleeping bags going out to the homeless. Always, I promote the food banks. I've had to go there when I got in trouble. The food banks are begging for donations now. They need cash donations as well as food. They can buy bulk food cheaper with donations of cash. You can make food and/or money donations. http://www.feedingamerica.org/#. Search by zip code.

[rayinprague]

08:06 PM on 01/27/2011

The Associated Press style guide says it is two words in almost all uses: The project is under way. There is an exception for nautical uses: an underway fleet. Most newspapers use the AP as a guide.

[XFilesTheTruthIsOutThere]

07:44 PM on 01/27/2011

I was afraid this day would come. Many major charity are coming under investigations because of our hurting economy. People want to know if their donation are being put to good usage. Because of the sleep recovery over in Haiti, this is why other charity are being placed under scrutiny.

[catzoned]

08:08 PM on 01/27/2011

I keep asking for a link, maybe you have it? Other than this "gotcha" headline?

Earlier we were discussing celebrities and whether they were helping Americans. I wondered why Oprah didn't build a school in America. Kudos to Brad Pitt helping Habitat for Humanity.

[DON McDONALD]

07:28 PM on 01/27/2011

Except for disaster relief I do my giving locally, in person, and "in kind" then at least I have a pretty good idea that the three cases of tuna fish (or whatever) are really feeding real people...

[catzoned]

08:26 PM on 01/27/2011

Great! This is a "gotcha" headline. Tuna is a good contribution actually. Kids need protein rich foods instead of ones full of sugar and salt. Moms could relax a bit if they can feed their kids something that grows sturdy young bodies instead of stuff that gives them diseases.

[FunkyP]

09:22 PM on 01/27/2011

something that grows sturdy young bodies instead of stuff that gives them diseases.

Like Mercury?

[atexasdem]

12:22 PM on 01/30/2011

As you can see from my other posts I encourage people to give locally. In your community you can make a difference. You actually can see your contribution at work. Nothing against the large corporate charities, they have their role too but if you truly want to help, to really make a difference, support your local charities. Let's save America one community at a time, starting with our own.

[catzoned]

11:44 PM on 01/30/2011

I saw all the Coats for Kids being collected at my credit union. It was over flowing! We need a Shoes for Kids drive as well. The school supply drive looked sucessful as well. I heard hundreds of motorcycles contributing for Toys for Tots the Xmas. They had a police escort. Yes, a community at a time.

My city has a donation center for pet food. Does yours? And will you sign up for feeding rescued animals? Please to everyone in your address book as well.

Feed the hungry rescued animals with just a mouse click, Bookmark these sites and click on every day. (I signed up for Daily Reminders so I click every day before doing any other email).

http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com.
There is also www.freekibble.com.
http://www.freekibblekat.com/