The Committee for Police Officers' Defense (CPOD) The "Committee for Police Officer's Defense" (CPOD) was configured in order to complete an intrinsic goal. Mailing address: 8228 FAWN MEADOW AVE LAS VEGAS, NV 89149. Robocallers have apparently been using the name of a former Abilene City Councilman/Abilene businessman to try to entice people to give to a fake police charity. Jan. 8, 2021, 5:36 PM PST. Despite currently transitioning into my role as the newly elected chairman of RLDF, it is unacceptable that I was neither consulted about nor informed of those decisions. A spokesperson for Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr, the chairman of the Republican Attorneys General Association, said he had no knowledge or involvement in this decision., Attorney General Carr has been working diligently to determine how this situation occurred and ensure that it does not happen again, said spokesperson Katie Byrd. Learn more here. 3. Thats what critics call political action committees that gobble up most of the money they raise rather than using it forthe charitable or other causes they profess to support. 4. For example, in two enforcement actions, a medical paging company was a key source; it informed the Bureau that the paging company's phone lines were being bombarded by spoofed robocalls. Both Politicause and TPFE had procedures to keep workers with fraud convictions from handling credit card information, former callers said, although Politicause workers said the rules were sometimes relaxed for high performers. fcc504@fcc.gov Police charity caution: How to know if it's a scam - WCPO Bass set up five super PACs allegedly dedicated to a range of causes including veterans and firefighters. To the extent allowed by the Privacy Act of 1974 and our rules, the portal will clearly state that the Bureau may share submitted information with the Department of Justice, Federal Trade Commission, other federal agencies combatting robocalls, state attorney general offices, other law enforcement entities with which the Commission has information sharing agreements, and the registered traceback consortium. It will be submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review under section 3507(d) of the PRA. Commenters raise concerns that the new streamlined portal will create consumer confusion or duplicate current processes. 23. An arm of the Republican Attorneys General Association, a national group representing the top law enforcement officers in their states, sent out robocalls encouraging people to march to the U.S. Capitol the day before the building was stormed by a pro-Trump mob. That could punish well-intentioned organizations, he said. The full text of this document is available for public inspection online at Furthermore, we agree with commenters that the Bureau should protect the confidentiality of information submitted through the portal, especially because the data may include personally identifiable information or customer proprietary network information. Demonstrators attempt to enter the U.S. Capitol during a protest on Jan. 6, 2021. Looking for legal documents or records? Adam Piper, the executive director of the Republican Attorneys General Association, and Peter Bisbee, the executive director of the fundraising arm, did not return requests for comment about the robocalls, which were first reported by the watchdog group Documented. (Super PACs are a type of political action committee that faces no limits on spending or contributions, by virtue of court decisions a decade ago.). that the Commission 17. 14. That process is a well-established one that consumers have come to understand and depend upon. The authority citation for part 0 continues to read as follows: Authority: Before sharing sensitive information, make sure youre on a federal government site. 4. It is an organization who (sic) advocates for those who deserve it the most and are often left behind: American Veterans, especially who are homeless and disabled, the FAQ read. Former Politicause employee Armstrong said he was fired in 2018, when the call center did charity fundraising, for having drugs at work. the current document as it appeared on Public Inspection on 19. The fundraising operation used corporate names including Charity Promotions, from 2013 to 2016, and Charity Appeal, from 2016 to 2018, according to several ex-employee interviews and state filings. 20. Richard Zeitlin, the biggest fundraiser in the loose network identified by Reuters, told a reporter in a brief interview that he had closed down all of his call centers, saying I wanted a change in direction. Asked about ex-employees claims of deception in his companies PAC fundraising practices, he declined to discuss specifics. Laura Strickler is a senior investigative producer and reporter for NBC News. e.g., the Federal Register. Reuters Investigates offers several ways to securely contact our reporters. These tools are designed to help you understand the official document rendition of the daily Federal Register on FederalRegister.gov does not The Report and Order contains new or modified information collection requirements subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA). Private entity submissions of robocall violations. And the groups they were raising money for werent charities at all, but political action committees, which normally are set up to gather funds for candidates or political causes. Federal Register provide legal notice to the public or judicial notice to the courts. How do I know you are telling the truth or the people who talked to you are telling the truth? he said. Even as they charmed millions from credulous donors, a dozen former callers for two major fundraisers told Reuters that they knew their companies would be keeping the vast majority of it. a phone number), the caller ID information displayed, the phone number(s) called, the date(s) and time(s) of the relevant calls or texts, the name of the reporting private entity's service provider, and a description of the problematic calls or texts. Republican AGs group sent robocalls urging march to the Capitol - NBC News . They said to pitch it like it was a charity but as quietly and quickly as you can, slip in that it was a PAC, said Lefler, who worked at TPFE until March. In interviews, a dozen former employees of Politicause and Zeitlins TPFE described techniques they used to wrangle donations, leaving contributors with the impression they were giving to good causes. 13. We define private entity as any entity other than (1) an individual natural person or (2) a public entity. We find that our decision to exclude individual consumers from the definition of private entity will greatly reduce, if not eliminate, potential confusion. or call the FCC's Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau at (202) 418-0530 (voice), (202) 418-0432 (TTY). A website set up to promote the rally that preceded the Capitol incursion lists the Rule of Law Defense Fund as one of the participating organizations. better and aid in comparing the online edition to the print edition. 6. committeeforpoliceofficersdefense.com Review - Scam Detector Some fundraisers work in both worlds, raising money for charities andPACs. The Commission vigorously enforces violations of section 227. Consumers, meanwhile, should continue to submit individual complaints about unwanted robocalls and spoofed calls that they receive through the Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau's informal consumer complaint process. We recognize that consumers might mistakenly file complaints through the new streamlined process rather than the existing consumer complaint process. The groups share funding, staff and office space in Washington, D.C. As a fundraiser for charities, Zeitlin ran into trouble with regulators. Two of the fundraising companies identified by Reuters employed jail inmates and ex-cons as telemarketers, according to interviews in Alabama with several former employees, as well as court records. The documents posted on this site are XML renditions of published Federal At Politicause, for instance, some said they initially were told to say donations would be used to help buy new police and fire equipment. Authority delegations (Government agencies). i.e., While every effort has been made to ensure that accessible format documents, sign language interpreters, CART, etc. We released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking ( documents in the last year, 122 People with Disabilities. Our mission is protecting consumers and competition by preventing anticompetitive, deceptive, and unfair business practices through law enforcement, advocacy, and education without unduly burdening legitimate business activity. Open for Comment, Russian Harmful Foreign Activities Sanctions, Economic Sanctions & Foreign Assets Control, Fisheries of the Northeastern United States, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Further Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government, PART 64MISCELLANEOUS RULES RELATING TO COMMON CARRIERS, https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2021-14711, MODS: Government Publishing Office metadata, https://ecfsapi.fcc.gov/file/06171386503472/FCC-21-75A3.pdf. 47 U.S.C. To request this document in accessible formats for people with disabilities ( House, Senate announce agreement on anti-robocall bill This Report and Order establishes a streamlined process for private entities to submit information about unlawful, unwanted calls. In a small Alabama town at the edge of the Talladega National Forest, next to a Chinese restaurant, stands a shop with mirrored windows and no signs. Good evening this is Mike Stevens calling for the . In fact, scam PAC operators and fundraisers are often old hands of the charity world, with a history of run-ins with regulators, state and federal records show. Those two fundraising firms, whose ownership is not clear, dissolved Pledge Assistance in July 2018 and Politicause in June 2019, according to Wyoming records. The workers said Politicause managers eventually reined in that practice, requiring them to instead say that at least 10% went to the cause. The call centers in Alabama, along with others in Nevada, New Jersey, and Florida, raise money on behalf of scam PACs, slang among criticsfor political action committees that purport to support worthy causes but in reality hand over little of the money for political or charitable purposes. It is further ordered Always Be Closing, one poster read. The Federal Trade Commission, which is responsible for policing telemarketing, generally has no jurisdiction over political fundraising, said Lois Greisman, an associate director in charge of the agencys marketing practices division. (k) Perform such other functions as may be assigned or referred to it by the Commission. When asked by potential donors how much of the money would go to the cause they were touting, telemarketers said they suggested it was the vast majority. Callers told Reuters they easily made the switch, working in the same buildings, for the same bosses, using similar scripts. ) on December 8, 2020, proposing to establish a streamlined process for private entities to submit information about robocall violations to the Commission. Sections 64.1204(a) and 64.1606(a) contain new or modified information collection requirements that require review by OMB under the PRA. the material on FederalRegister.gov is accurately displayed, consistent with It also has roots in charity fundraising. They are looking for naturals, said Jones, adding that good performers could take home $1,000 to $1,500 a week. . Thus, we have minimized the impact on small businesses. 227(b). Contact Information P.O. the official SGML-based PDF version on govinfo.gov, those relying on it for Caller type: Scammer/Fraudster. include documents scheduled for later issues, at the request that the Commission's Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau, Reference Information Center, Those calls used a recording of Trump's . 24. A Pro-Trump scam PAC returns with a vengeance - POLITICO 2021-14711 Filed 9-22-21; 8:45 am], updated on 4:15 PM on Friday, March 3, 2023, updated on 8:45 AM on Friday, March 3, 2023, 105 documents How Scam PACs fall through the cracks of U.S. regulators, The motto was, Leave your morals at the door, said Alexander Lefler, 21, who worked for nearly a year at a call center southeast of Birmingham, Alabama, describing what he saw as high-pressure and deceptive tactics. For further information, contact Daniel Stepanicich, Attorney, Telecommunications Consumers Division, Enforcement Bureau, at (202) 418-7451 or