Former Democratic Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams’ non-profit organization could potentially face criminal charges for allegedly collecting donations without a license.
The New Georgia Project has allegedly violated state laws, which some require non-profit organizations to file required financial disclosures with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) before collecting donations, according to the Washington Free Beacon. Abrams’ organization has continued collecting money through a campaign hosted by the fundraising platform ActBlue, despite having missed the Nov. 15 deadline to file its Form 990.
Records show that the New Georgia Project’s charity status has expired, according to the several states’ Secretary of State offices. In Tennessee, the non-profit’s status is labeled “expired,” and its status in Colorado says “EXPIRED-MAY NOT SOLICIT.” The offices in Mississippi and North Carolina have listed the New Georgia Project’s status as “expired.”
Representatives from Mississippi, Tennessee and North Carolina have said the non-profit could face penalties ranging from $25 to $25,000, the Free Beacon reported. Paul Kamenar, an attorney with the National Legal and Policy Center, said the group is in “gross violation” of state laws.
“It’s clear that the New Georgia Project is in gross violation of many state laws by soliciting contributions from the public while their registration as a charity has lapsed,” Kamenar told the Free Beacon.
NEW: Stacey Abrams’s New Georgia Project can’t legally solicit in numerous states across the country.
But it’s still running a nationwide ActBlue fundraising campaign, opening it up to potentially massive fines and criminal investigations
w/@SaysSimonsonhttps://t.co/zzGIkwQnJW
— Andrew Kerr (@AndrewKerrNC) December 6, 2022
The organization raised $25 million in 2020 and $18.5 million in assets, the outlet reported. Contribution receipts have found that non-profit took donations from states such as Colorado and Washington where they lacked an active charity solicitation license. (RELATED: Stacey Abrams Campaign Scrambles To Do Damage Control Following Maskless Image With Children)
In Colorado, raking in donations without a license is deemed charity fraud, according to recorded state law. Annie Orloff, a spokeswoman for Colorado’s secretary of state, has reportedly reached out to the New Georgia Project about its charity status and alleged crime, the Free Beacon reported.
In North Dakota, the group’s deadline for charity renewal was set for Dec. 1, but they continue to keep an active status in the state, according to the Free Beacon. The group may be subject to an investigation in Maine if a complaint is filed to the state’s Department of Professional and Financial Regulation given that their deadline was Nov. 30.
The group’s registration deadline expired in Oklahoma on Nov. 9, and on May 15 in California, the outlet reported.
The group missed its filing deadline after firing its top financial adviser in June and half of its leadership team, the outlet reported. This cut in staff led to a cut in its funds.
The New Georgia Project and ActBlue did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller’s request for comment.