Watson & Hughey charities are in trouble again
From ANIMAL PEOPLE, October 1992:
ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The states
of Connecticut and Pennsylvania are suing the
Cancer Fund of America and three other chari-
ties for alleged fraudulent accounting in
describing the use of donations.
The Cancer Fund of America,
based in Knoxville, Tennessee, solicits con-
tributions by claiming that it does not fund
research using animals. In actuality, it funds
little or no cancer research of any kind, and is
one of eight charities promoted by the Watson
and Hughey direct mail fundraising firm, of
Alexandria, Virginia, which were fined a total
of $2.4 million in 1991 for using misleading
sweepstakes appeals.
Also fined in connection with those
cases was the National Society for Pet
Protection, also known as Adopt-A-Pet,
which may now be out of business, since the
IRS has not received tax filings from the group
since 1990. The most recent available filings
indicate that approximately 97% of all funds
raised for the group from 1987 through 1989
were paid to Watson and Hughey for further
fundraising.
The new charges in Connecticut and
Pennsylvania meant that three of the 12 states
who prosecuted the 1991 cases have now
charged Watson and Hughey with subsequent
offenses; New York is pursuing additional
charges relating to use of sweepstakes
appeals.
