NY Gives $640K+ to Breast Cancer Organizations From Sham Charities' Funds

More than $640,000 recovered from a sham breast cancer organizations and individuals who defrauded New Yorkers will be distributed among five reputable non-profit organizations truly leading the fight against breast cancer, New York Attorney General Letitia James announced Wednesday.

The $644,054.79 recovered by the Office of the Attorney General from the Breast Cancer Survivors Foundation, Inc. (BCSF), a sham organization, and a telemarketer who misled donors into contributing to a sham breast cancer organization on Long Island, was distributed to the American Cancer Society, Living Beyond Breast Cancer, West Islip Breast Cancer Coalition, Babylon Breast Cancer Coalition, and Manhasset Women’s Coalition Against Breast Cancer.

The BCSF fraudulently posed in phone and mail solicitations as a medical center for breast cancer patients, James' office said, adding that the reality was that it was a shell organization funneling donations to an outside fundraiser, which pocketed 92 cents of every dollar donated to BCSF.

In 2017, Office of the Attorney General of New York (OAG) announced an agreement with BCSF and its president and founder which required BCSF to cease operation, shut down immediately and pay more than $300,000 in restitution, the last of which was received by James' office in 2021. The OAG also obtained $40,000 from BCSF’s auditors.

Additionally, in 2013, the attorney general's office won a judgment against a telemarketer for fraud in raising funds for the Coalition Against Breast Cancer, also a sham Long Island organization, according to James. Coalition Against Breast Cancer apparently raised millions of dollars with solicitations that claimed there was a “mammography fund,” which would provide free mammograms to uninsured women. However, there was no such thing as mammography fund, according to James.

Although, the telemarketer did not pay the judgment, the court appointed a receiver to collect or sell their property to satisfy the judgment. In 2021, the receiver delivered $303,747.86 to the attorney general's office.

“It is unconscionable that organizations and telemarketers preyed on the public’s generosity and deprived breast cancer patients of vital support during a time of tremendous physical, mental, and emotional distress,” James said in a statement. “Today, I am honored to return these funds to the people and organizations that need them most. My office is proud to be a partner to these five incredible organizations and help them in supporting breast cancer patients and survivors throughout their journey.”

The Office of the Attorney General's Charities Bureau selected five nonprofit organizations to receive the restitution funds, including:

• The American Cancer Society ($314,054.79)
• Living Beyond Breast Cancer ($225,000)
• West Islip Breast Cancer Coalition on Long Island ($30,000)
• Babylon Breast Cancer Coalition ($35,000)
• Manhasset Women’s Coalition Against Breast Cancer ($40,000)

The recovered funds distributed are part of OAG’s Operation Bottomfeeder, which is an initiative of the Charities Bureau to identify fraudulent charities and their fundraisers. To date, Operation Bottomfeeder has recovered approximately $1.7 million from sham charities and their fundraisers and has redistributed that money to legitimate charities.