It is further ordered ThePAC, organized by Zachary Bass, spent 90% of its take on fundraising, campaign filings show. New Documents 5. Republican AGs group sent robocalls urging march to the Capitol - NBC News informational resource until the Administrative Committee of the Federal Robocalls and the Do Not Call Registry. Jul 10, 2020, 08:10 ET. Some telemarketers who claim to be raising money for causes like homeless veterans and cancer victims work for political action committees (PACs), not charities, and keep much of the money they raise. documents in the last year, 940 Laura Strickler is a senior investigative producer and reporter for NBC News. The FTCs response to complaints is not noted in the records.. As required by the Regulatory Flexibility Act of 1980, as amended (RFA), the Commission has prepared a Final Regulatory Flexibility Analysis (FRFA) relating to this Report and Order. Private entity submissions of spoofing violations. Police Officer Defense Alliance - Better Business Bureau Reuters interviewed a dozen donors to PACs in the informal network. of the issuing agency. Accordingly, BIRMINGHAM, Alabama From unmarked strip-mall offices in small-town Alabama, the calls go out across the United States, meant to talk people into giving money for heart-tugging causes like helping breast cancer patients or the widows of fallen police officers. House, Senate announce agreement on anti-robocall bill Pitches at Politicause and TPFE were adapted to avoid allegations of fraud, former callers said, noting that the conversations were occasionally monitored by company compliance officers. We are proud to say its a 90-10 split, Jones recalled saying, leaving out that his company was getting the 90% share. 03/03/2023, 207 The Commission will publish a document in the i.e., Alex Angelides, a 31-year-old engineer from Arlington, Virginia, donated $600to a superPAC called For a Better America, which spent 90% of its money on fundraising alone. Now I'm not knocking on Mr. Fotis, I'm just reporting on what I have found and I thank him for his service in the Army and as a Police Officer. As a fundraiser for charities, Zeitlin ran into trouble with regulators. We are appalled and condemn these actions in the strongest possible terms and have communicated that to RAGA. We anticipate that this portal will be particularly useful to private entities experiencing large scale robocall incidents and voice service providers that have network analytic information. The Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau also forwards complaints to the Enforcement Bureau, which may use them to pursue enforcement actions. In the 2 year period examined by Reuters, records show, TPFE and three other Zeitlin firms earned more than $27.6 million for PAC fundraising. As his office pursued the money trail in the Bass investigation, for instance, Friedman said it came across an organization called Market Process Group, one of the eight fundraisers examined by Reuters. as set forth in Appendix A. The political action committee spent 91% of its money on fundraising in the 2 year examined by Reuters, Federal Election Commission records show. It is further ordered Senate Aging Committee Tackles Robocall Scams - MeriTalk The Better Business Bureau says if anyone calls or knocks asking you to help the police, the best thing you can do is ask them for information before you agree to donate. by the Foreign Assets Control Office better and aid in comparing the online edition to the print edition. fcc504@fcc.gov The authority citation for part 0 continues to read as follows: Authority: All told, the PACs took in $83.1 million during the 2 year period examined by Reuters, about 82% of which went to the eight fundraising companies, according to the campaign disclosures required by the FEC. It is not an official legal edition of the Federal We were good at slick-talking these people, said Dellinger, who court records show has been convicted of felonies including the truck theft and other burglary charges. 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. Good evening this is Mike Stevens calling for the . Federal Register Document Drafting Handbook Section 227(e) prohibits unlawful spoofingthe transmission of misleading or inaccurate caller ID information with the intent to defraud, cause harm, or wrongfully obtain anything of value. Everyday our protectors in law . The fundraiser paid $11.6 million by PACs, including Bass operations, since 2017 listed an address in FEC documents that was a mail drop business in Washington D.C.Contract information subpoenaed by investigators and seen by Reuters ties Market Process Group to firms controlled by Mark Gelvan, a New Jersey-based fundraiser.Included were a phone number used by another Gelvan firm, Outreach Calling, an address used by his operation in Montville, New Jersey, and an email linked to another Gelvan company. 20-374, FCC-21-75, adopted and released on June 17, 2021. 151, 154(i), 154(j), 155, 225, and 409, unless otherwise noted. WASHINGTON - U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, today issued the following statement after the Senate overwhelmingly approved the bipartisan Pallone-Thune Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence (TRACED) Act.The bill will now be sent to the president's desk to be signed into law: documents in the last year. corresponding official PDF file on govinfo.gov. for better understanding how a document is structured but Bass, who set up several other super PACs, declined to comment. A Pro-Trump scam PAC returns with a vengeance - POLITICO These so-called scam PACs and their fundraisers exploit the gray zone between U.S. election finance and state charity fundraising laws, regulators told Reuters. The Commission has a well-established process for individual consumers to submit complaints about unwanted and suspected illegal robocalls and spoofed calls: The Commission's informal consumer complaint process, which the Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau oversees. Earlier this week, we spoke out alongside others in the business community regarding the violence that unfolded at the U.S. Capitol.. Updated: 05/04/2018 05:00 AM EDT. The FRFA is set forth in Appendix C. 18. This new portal will not affect the process by which a consumer submits an informal complaint about a robocall or spoofed call, using the long-standing process located on the Commission's homepage. Though scam PACS have no standard definition and cant be definitively counted, a review of Federal Election Commission records suggests they account for a sliver of the some 6,800 PACs in the country. include documents scheduled for later issues, at the request About | Police Officers' Defense Coalition Its supporters also include interest groups such as the NRA and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which was its top donor in 2020 with a $750,000 contribution. are amended A private entity cannot determine whether a call violated the TCPA or the Truth in Caller ID Actthis determination is left to the Commission, an action brought by state law enforcement, or a judicial outcome from a private right of action. It was viewed 36 times while on Public Inspection. The "Committee for Police Officer's Defense" (CPOD) was configured to help police officers fight against the continuing "War on Cops" by taking a varied political stance against politicians, activist judges, prosecutors, district attorneys and a host of others who try to bring police officers down by any means. Although the portal will not reject submissions that fail to include the above information, such failure will make it more difficult for the Bureau to investigate fully and take appropriate enforcement action. Twilio recommends that the Commission create one centralized mechanism for reporting all information regarding robocalling and spoofing, whether it is from a whistleblower, company, or consumer. But scam PACs are not like other political action committees. The Police Officers' Defense Coalition was developed in consort with the Committee for Police Officers' Defense in order to help police officers, public safety officers, sheriffs, and all those who represent the law enforcement community fight against the "War on C ops". Former callers at both TPFE and Politicause said they were given scripts and FAQs that required them to mention that the groups were political action committees but were told by managers to glide past the disclosures about who was calling and how the money would be used. First, we find that interpreting the term to exclude individual consumers from the definition of private entity is consistent with Congress's other uses of that term and similar terms. How do I know you are telling the truth or the people who talked to you are telling the truth? he said. Demonstrators attempt to enter the U.S. Capitol during a protest on Jan. 6, 2021. In addition, we note that pursuant to the Small Business Paperwork Relief Act of 2002, we previously sought specific comment on how the Commission might further reduce the information collection burden for small business concerns with fewer than 25 employees. Scam PACs tend to slip through gaps among agencies that govern elections, charities and telemarketing, regulators say, leaving consumers exposed to misleading or fraudulent pitches. Efforts to pass anti-robocall legislation have stalled for years, but the agreement announced Friday increases the odds that Congress will send the White House a bill before 2020. 6. Gelvan agreed to a permanent ban on raising money for charity in New York in 2004 in a case that accused him of deceptive telemarketing for a state troopers charity, court documents show, and he paid a $50,000 finefor violating that agreement 10 years later. Some of the workers for TPFE also had felony convictions, according to several former callers and court records. On its website, this organization says you can be removed from its call list by completing this form . Find legal resources and guidance to understand your business responsibilities and comply with the law. documents in the last year, 36 About the Federal Register The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely. Police Officers' Defense Coalition and Committee for Police Officers' Defense is committed to cleaning up the annals of justice by flushing out those who pretend to represent the people, but instead manipulate the system and the prosecute police officers as a stepping stone to their next higher political office. The current informal consumer complaint process is a vital tool for the Commission. Final Regulatory Flexibility Analysis. Committee for Police Officers Defense - Overview, News & Competitors About 82% of the money, $13.8 million, went to Zeitlins firms, while Piaro collected $190,613 in salary from the PACs, according to the records. The call center in Sylacauga, visited by Reuters last year, was operated by Las Vegas-based TPFE Inc, a firm controlled by Zeitlin. I had breast cancer, so they knew how to get me, she said. Blue / Bloomberg via Getty Images. These tools are designed to help you understand the official document Against that background, Congress directed the Commission to develop a streamlined process for private entities to submit robocall information to the Commission. Coffee is for Closers Only, read another. Pepsi and the NRA did not respond to requests for comment. documents in the last year, 822 The portal is also available for use by private entities that have had their number(s) spoofed. the official SGML-based PDF version on govinfo.gov, those relying on it for Back in 2019, a CNN investigation traced a series of mysterious robocalls claiming to raise money for Trump's wall back to Support American Leaders PAC. Add 64.1606 to subpart P to read as follows: (a) Any private entity may submit to the Enforcement Bureau information related to a call or text message that the private entity has reason to believe included misleading or inaccurate caller identification information in violation of 64.1604(a) or 47 U.S.C. on 47 U.S.C. We are committed to protecting and defending law enforcement against progressive politicians, judges, and other officials that encourage the war on cops. You are not lying, but you are being extremely misleading, said Jason Jones, 24, a former employee at Politicause. or call the Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau at 202-418-0530 (voice). Reuters obtained FTC complaint records, with names redacted, through a Freedom of Information Act request. Training was minimal, pressure relentless and turnover high, the workers said. Commenters suggested that the Commission consolidate the new portal and its existing informal consumer complaint process, which the Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau administers, or better distinguish the two processes by defining private entity to exclude consumers. In recent years, some telemarketers have used technology to bombard consumers with hundreds of millions of prerecorded calls that are often unwanted and frequently deceptive. Relevant incidents might include a corporation or association experiencing a deluge of robocalls overwhelming their internal phone network or a voice service provider that found evidence of illegal robocalls traversing its network. should verify the contents of the documents against a final, official The Cherokee Nation Businesses LLC, which donated $150,000 in 2020, said it has requested an immediate refund of its sponsorship to the Republican Attorneys General Association, and the organization obliged. A web of new political action committees raised nearly $6 million in recent months under the guise of supporting police, veterans and . documents in the last year, 282 documents in the last year, 86 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. 269-257-6522 | 12692576522 - Phone Scam Alert! - Nomorobo Several told NBC News that spending money on this kind of recruitment for protest runs counter to the purpose of their donation. An arm of the Republican Attorneys General Association, a national group representing the top law enforcement officers in their . Compliance with the requirements of that information collection will not be required until after approval by the Office of Management and Budget. establishing the XML-based Federal Register as an ACFR-sanctioned Cherokee Nation Businesses does not condone these actions and strongly condemns the insurrectionists and all those who instigated the disruption of the federal government through their words and actions.. We agree with the commenters and therefore exclude individual natural persons from the definition of private entity. The President of the United States issues other types of documents, including but not limited to; memoranda, notices, determinations, letters, messages, and orders. 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 The portal will request private entities to submit certain minimum information including, but not necessarily limited to, the name of the reporting private entity, contact information, including at least one individual name and means of contacting the entity ( In a statement to NBC News, Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall, who runs the fund, said the calls were sent out without his knowledge. a copy of this Report and Order Rulemaking, including the Final Regulatory Flexibility Analysis, to the Chief Counsel for Advocacy of the Small Business Administration. The "Committee for Police Officer's Defense" (CPOD) was configured in order to complete an intrinsic goal. The committees treasurer, attorney Chris Marston, told Reuters the purpose of the PAC was to raise money in support of candidates who would help police and firefighters., Im sure the [call] scripts didnt misrepresent anything, Marston said. A week later, Armstrong said, he was rehired to help raise money for political action committees. the material on FederalRegister.gov is accurately displayed, consistent with Second, we find that establishing a stand-alone process designed specifically to handle concerns from private entities ( We agree with comments expressing the importance of vetting submitted information and protecting confidentiality. . Counts are subject to sampling, reprocessing and revision (up or down) throughout the day. Interviews and records indicate managers at both firms once worked at a Zeitlin company called Courtesy Call. Drug abuse was a problem at both call centers, ex-employees said. Delegated Authority. 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. Donations have surged to a 'scam' political group that claims - CNN shall send While acknowledging that every industry has its bad apples,he wrote: To this day it strikes me as odd that an industry that has over the years hired hundreds of thousands of people (perhaps millions), many of whom had trouble holding down more traditional day jobs, would become such a punching bag for the government and the media.. These workers were a convenient labor pool and skilled at getting people to open their wallets, former callers said. information to inform Commission consumer protection policies as well as for analytical and consumer education purposes. FAIRFAX, Va., July 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Committee for Police Officers' Defense, the political arm of Police Officers' Defense Coalition, recently launched a . In 2018, the Federal Trade Commission sued Zeitlin for allegedly deceptive practices in charity fundraising, but the case has been suspended because a grand jury was investigating, according to court documents. Authority delegations (Government agencies). We also have a process for obtaining information from certain public entities: Federal and state law enforcement agencies routinely coordinate with the Enforcement Bureau about robocall and caller ID spoofing enforcement and mitigation efforts. The purpose of the portal is to provide private entities a streamlined method to submit information to the Bureau about suspected robocall or spoofing violations. Starting with a group of eight fundraising operations that earned at least a half-million dollars each during this period, Reuters traced interconnections among them and 31 PACs. We also clarify that a public entity is any governmental organization at the federal, state, or local level. Some political fundraising operations change locations frequently, operate under different names or dissolve and resurface under another name, making it difficult to trace their ownership, activities and connections to one another. , pursuant to sections 4(i), 4(j), and 227 of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended, 47 U.S.C. Going byvarious names, the fundraising operation has worked for some of the same PACs as Zeitlins firms have and has employed some of the same people, according to internal PAC records, state corporate filings, employee interviews and deposition testimony in a civil case unrelated to this article. that parts 0 and 64 of the Commission's rules The fundraisers later went to work for PACs under the names Politicause and Pledge Assistance, both registered in Wyoming, which requires little disclosure from corporations. Few other top officers at these fundraising firms and PACS would speak to Reuters on the record. The Commission vigorously enforces violations of section 227. This repetition of headings to form internal navigation links The "Committee for Police Officer's Defense" (CPOD) was configured to help police officers fight against the continuing "War on Cops" by taking a varied political stance against politicians, activist judges, prosecutors, district attorneys and a host of others who try to bring police officers down by any means. Reuters interviewed a dozen donors to PACs. Last summer, after coming under fire from state and government regulators for alleged deception in fundraising for charities, he defended his reputation on a website called richardzeitlintruth.com. Those who responded denied their marketing was deceptive and defended their business model and compensation. Looking for legal documents or records? 30 days after publication in the We work to advance government policies that protect consumers and promote competition. 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. At Politicause, for instance, some said they initially were told to say donations would be used to help buy new police and fire equipment. 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. (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.). Its a sink or swim environment. IE 11 is not supported. Fundraisers are seeing this is just another easy way to make a buck.. By Laura Strickler and Lisa Cavazuti. that agencies use to create their documents. To request this document in accessible formats for people with disabilities ( The authority citation for part 64 continues to read as follows: Authority: on Organizationally and individually, we strongly condemn and disavow the events which occurred., One of its members, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, attended the rally and spoke to the crowd, saying, We will not quit fighting., Following the Capitol invasion, he tweeted, I am sorely disappointed today in the certification of the election, but I dont believe violence is the answer.. Ultimately, changes must come at the federal level, said Ellen Weintraub, a Democrat who chairs the Federal Election Commission. or to request reasonable accommodations ( 801(a)(1)(A). Federal election laws were designed to prevent corruption, he said, not to protect consumers.. We interpret section 10(a) of the TRACED Act to encompass suspected or alleged violations of section 227(b) or section 227(e) as the most natural reading the of the statute. Police Officers' Defense Coalition On September 1, 2009, new FTC rules went into effect prohibiting most prerecorded telemarketing calls, commonly known as robocalls, unless the telemarketer has the consumers prior written authorization to transmit such calls. This prototype edition of the We are appalled at the events that culminated in the storming of the U.S. Capitol, the company said in a statement. Amend 0.111 by redesignating paragraph (j) as paragraph (k) and revising it and by adding new paragraph (j) to read as follows: (j) Collects and reviews information received from private entities related to violations of 64.1200(a) and 64.1604(a) of this chapter. The Committee for Police Officer's Defense works diligently to bring awareness to the fact that when these anti-police officials seek to regain public office, remain seated on the bench, or hold office- they create a dangerous environment for our upstanding men and women in blue. (562) 512-7043 is a Fake Police Charity Robocall Do not answer. JoAnn Coleman, 63, a construction engineer from Gaithersburg, Maryland, said she was particularly vulnerable to a pitch for the breast cancer PAC. would create consumer confusion and duplicate existing Commission robocall information collection efforts. For instance, the operation raised $16.8 million for PACs founded by Robert Piaro of Fredonia, Wisconsin, which purported to support police, veterans and people with breast cancer. One Piaro committee, Americans for the Cure of Breast Cancer, garnered $1.6 million in donations through Zeitlins fundraising operations and made one charitable contribution, $10,000 to the Susan G. Komen Foundation less than 1% of the total raised, campaign filings show.