SACRAMENTO -
"It's simply not true. We're the furthest thing from a fraudulent organization." Chris Eaton is defending his charity's name. He's the executive director of California Police Youth Charities. It's a private organization that claims to help at-risk youth. It's an organization now targeted in a nationwide crackdown on fraudulent charities. The Sacramento-based charity claims it's done nothing wrong. But Attorney General Jerry Brown says it conspired to defraud its donors.
"You have an organization that uses the words police and youth and claims that all the money is going to charity. In fact, it goes to telemarketers. It goes to overhead. Decent people have a generous spirit. My office is here to make sure that generous spirit is not exploited and that charities use the money for charity, not for feathering their own nests," said Brown.
"We can prove that we've assisted tens of thousands of kids throughout the state of California," said Eaton.
The charity's website has celebrity endorsements and even a testimonial from Sacramento County Sheriff John McGinness. But the sheriff's department says the quote came from a thank you letter McGinness sent two years ago regarding a trip the charity arranged for a fallen deputy's family.
"The letter sheriff McGinness sent was not intended to be an endorsement. They don't have permission to use parts of that letter on their website. We don't endorse this charity. We don't endorse any private charities," said Sgt. Tim Curran, spokesman for the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department.
Eaton says, an investigation will prove his charity's innocence. "I think when it's all said and done we'll still be standing here and we'll still be helping kids."
Attorney General Brown has filed eight lawsuits against 53 individuals, 17 telemarketers and 12 charities.
"You have an organization that uses the words police and youth and claims that all the money is going to charity. In fact, it goes to telemarketers. It goes to overhead. Decent people have a generous spirit. My office is here to make sure that generous spirit is not exploited and that charities use the money for charity, not for feathering their own nests," said Brown.
"We can prove that we've assisted tens of thousands of kids throughout the state of California," said Eaton.
The charity's website has celebrity endorsements and even a testimonial from Sacramento County Sheriff John McGinness. But the sheriff's department says the quote came from a thank you letter McGinness sent two years ago regarding a trip the charity arranged for a fallen deputy's family.
"The letter sheriff McGinness sent was not intended to be an endorsement. They don't have permission to use parts of that letter on their website. We don't endorse this charity. We don't endorse any private charities," said Sgt. Tim Curran, spokesman for the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department.
Eaton says, an investigation will prove his charity's innocence. "I think when it's all said and done we'll still be standing here and we'll still be helping kids."
Attorney General Brown has filed eight lawsuits against 53 individuals, 17 telemarketers and 12 charities.
