U.S. Cancer Charities Accused of $187 Million Dollar Fraud

One of the scandalous findings of the Cancer Fund of America shows that while money was probably going straight into the executives’ pockets, patients did not receive “medical treatment or financial help.” Instead, children dying of cancer received:

…boxes of sample-size soap, seasonal greeting cards and Little Debbie Snack Cakes.

Rumors surfaced that top officials treated themselves to lavish lifestyles and personal items from corporate cards, and created sham charity networks as offshoots for more money. South Carolina Secretary of State Mark Hammond at a Washington, D.C., news conference, said:

Some charities send children to Disney World – these charities sent themselves to Disney World.

Three out of the four Web sites for the organizations targeted in the investigation are “not working.” The Breast Cancer Society has issued a letter on their homepage, and has shut down for good.

The letter to the public expresses heartfelt sentiments but also denies the claims of fraud. The findings of the Tampa Bay Times and the Center for Investigative Reporting during their one year of research in 2013 were fairly extensive and incriminating. 

While it is most likely true and not altogether unsurprising that this massive amount of money went straight into greedy pockets, this announcement does make one wonder – why now? Why these charities? The FTC, however, lauds this as among the first and only times all 50 states united against fraud. 

This essentially leaves Susan G. Komen as the “monopoly” cancer charity; and should we trust that the hundreds of millions funneled there always go to where it’s needed, when the CEOs average half a million dollar salaries annually – give or take – and only 20 percent towards research?

Cancer survivor, Chris Wark, explains why he never supports big cancer charities: