WeBuildTheWall Inc., group behind private border wall, investigated

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

The private group led by a University of Arizona graduate that has raised more than $23 million online from individual donors to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border is now under investigation, just as construction a half-mile stretch of wall in private land in New Mexico is slate to resume.

The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services said it opened an investigation into WeBuildTheWall Inc. on May 17 after receiving three consumer complaints from the Office of the Florida Attorney General.

The group, which is registered in Florida as a tax-exempt non-profit organization, was founded by Brian Kolfage, a 37-year-old U.S. Air Force veteran who lived in Tucson for about 10 years and graduated from the University of Arizona.

"As this matter is now an active investigation, the Department cannot comment further. No additional information is available at this time,” a spokesperson for the Department of Agriculture said in a written statement.

But the complaints focus on the group's tax exempt status and plans to raise additional funds for border wall construction.

Kolfage moved to Florida with his family after living in southern Arizona for a decade. In December, he launched a GoFundMe account to raise money online to build a border wall, raising about $20 million.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/webuildthewall-inc-group-behind-private-border-wall-investigated/ar-AACeT7n?li=BBnb7Kz

[TexasBushwhacker]

1. Kolfage is a crook, plain and simple

He may be a decorated, disabled veteran, but he's still a crook.

https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/briannasacks/veteran-trump-wall-brian-kolfage-immigration-facebook

"Brian Kolfage, the decorated Iraq War veteran spearheading the massive, viral fundraising campaign to build President Trump’s border wall, who has a history of peddling right-wing misinformation on Facebook, pushed the limits of misleading content in pursuit of online traffic and profits until he was ultimately banned from the platform, according to multiple former employees and a review of internal communications.

The 37-year-old has spent more than a decade carefully crafting his public persona as an altruistic, conservative public figure, but people who have worked with the veteran told BuzzFeed News he can be vengeful and malicious, and that the pursuit of profits above all else fueled his behavior.

The veteran has also spearheaded other crowdfunding ventures over the years, raising thousands of dollars on GoFundMe with the promise of helping mentor fellow vets at military hospitals, but spokespersons for the medical centers said they have no record of Kolfage working at their facilities or donating any money."

[erronis]

2. Should these crowd-funded money-making sites be audited?

I'm guessing many of the appeals are by people that would enjoy a few extra $1,000 into their private piggy-banks.

But I wonder more about the umbrella corps. How much is siphoned off to execs? How much is admin? How much actually reaches the appelants?

My guess is that every single entity in this chain of money harvesting could decide to cease existence with absolutely no consequence. Except for the donations they've received and not dispensed.

This society has become as corrupt as it was when there were no financial laws. Purposefully.

[TexasBushwhacker]

3. Don't expect GoFundMe to shut anyone down

As long as they get their cut, they couldn't care less about the legitimacy of the appeal.

[erronis]

4. Moving my comment up to a direct reply: Are these fund-raising sites being audited?

Are they non-profit or for-profit? Guessing they're in it for the money (profits).

Do they file federal and state forms to be able to solicit and possibly dispense money to recipients?

Are the recipients filing federal/state forms for the money they recieve?

Are there any bonds and assurances that funds transferred through these groups are audited?

My guess is no.

They are money-making fraudulent enterprises who can/will disappear in a whisp of smoke if encountered.