LANSING, Mich. — Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette announced Thursday the intention to file a Cease and Desist Order against a Utah fundraiser for calls they made for a Michigan police union.
In September 2015, the Attorney General’s office says they received a complaint from a resident about a call from the Corporations for Character- a licensed and professional fundraiser from Murray, Utah. The resident said she was offered to receive a pledge through the company on behalf of the Michigan Fraternal Order of Police (FOP.) After declining to receive a pledge, she still received a form in the mail requesting that she send in her promised pledge of $15 by a specific due date.
The Attorney General’s office requested that Corporations for Character produce 850 call recordings, in addition to the call to the complainant, and determined that they had made twenty-three violations to the Public Solicitation Act. As a result, Schuette’s office has filed a Cease and Desist order agains the company. The company has twenty-one days to resolve the issue or face civil action in court.
“Deceptive fundraising will not be tolerated,” Schuette said in a press release. He also advised that you should research any charity before you give and report any suspected violations to the Attorney General’s office.
For more information on the charities you have donated to, you can read the 2015 Attorney General’sProfessional Fundraising Charitable Solicitation Report.