Beware Dear Veterans Of Those Who Come To Help

Veteran Advocacy often entails some vigilance.  This story just burns me, as I know of other Out Reach Programs that have been in existence since right after the invasion of Iraq that have left the radar screen under the smallest amount of scrutiny. I am not inclined to name them as even bloggers can be sued for not fully corroborating evidence. I am happy to give an educated observation however, but only privately. Intuition alone can guide many donors. Yet, so many unsuspecting good souls have their heartstrings tapped in the name and honor of our soldiers. It is hard to imagine how one sleeps at night who engages in such fraudulent behavior. It seems to me they should be drafted to clean the honey pots for our warriors.
God bless Vietnam Veterans of America for alerting us.

To All:
For your information!
Bill Meeks, Jr.
Chair, VVA Membership Affairs
Sent: Saturday, July 31, 2010 7:42 PM
To: Undisclosed-Recipient:;
Subject: The United States Fallen Heroes Foundation

Got this from LtGen, USAF (retired) Brett Dula
Subject: The United States Fallen Heroes Foundation

IT APPEARS THAT THE SUBJECT NAMED ORGANIZATION IS A FRAUD.
Begin forwarded message:

I just wanted to let you know about something that I’ve been working on for a few months that is finally coming out.  This group, The United States Fallen Hero Foundation, is a complete fraud.  They’ve been using the families of our fallen brothers and sisters to raise money for a phony Memorial that was to be built in Texas .  The PR firm they hired approached me to set up a meeting with me and Jan to get our advice on building a National Memorial, but things seemed fishy from the start.  The PR firm later became suspicious of the founders activities and came back to me again for advice on how to proceed.  We notified the Texas Attorney General and the FBI, but did not want to go public until we were sure.  They have contacted thousands of families who have gotten very excited about this project and we didn’t want to risk hurting them until we were positive this guy was a dirt bag.  Well, the Attorney General’s subpoena tipped of a Dallas TV reporter and he asked to have an exclusive.  His story aired last night.  I’m not sure if you guys want to do anything to actively warn people, but I just wanted to let you know about it.  His website is still up and he’s still raising money.  He’s claimed to have raised over $2 million.

Here is the Story.  Just let me know if you want any more detail.

http://www.wfaa.com/news/investigates/Unanswered-questions-about-plans-for-military-memorial-99437514.html

I have also informed the leadership of American Legion, VFW, and IAVA.


*********************************************************************************************************************
Unanswered questions about plans for military memorial
by BYRON HARRIS

WFAA

Posted on July 27, 2010 at 10:38 PM

Updated Wednesday, Jul 28 at 8:42 PM

Gallery

NEWS 8 INVESTIGATES

KENNEDALE — Questions are swirling around a $50 million project in Kennedale to honor veterans who have died since the September 11 terrorist attacks.

The Texas Attorney General is looking into documentation behind the United States Fallen Heroes Foundation.

  • What exactly is the United States Fallen Heroes Foundation?
  • Why does its founder use two names?
  • And is it a tax-exempt organization?

The memorial project was introduced to the public during a slick presentation at a news conference two months ago. An animation showed 15 acres of land in Kennedale that would be the site of a memorial. A Web site honoring veterans was set up, and TV spots in which families of vets were used to solicit money.

“This memorial will also include all military personnel that have died post-9/11 and have died as a result of combat and non-combat injuries and trauma,” said Walter Coleman, who said he was chairman of the U.S. Fallen Heroes Foundation.

But while Coleman was happy to be on TV to raise money then, he canceled two appointments with News 8 to discuss the organization. When he finally did show up, he would not let us record an interview.

“I’ll be interviewed, but not on camera,” he said.

Coleman did not want to be interviewed about his application to the IRS for tax-exempt status. The IRS has no record of the the U.S. Fallen Heroes Foundation.

News 8 discovered Coleman signs documents with two signatures and two names: “Evan Coleman” and “Walter Coleman.”

“I’m both,” he said when asked about the dual identity. “I’m Walter Raleigh Evan Coleman Jr.”

He said his use of one name of the other “depends on the documents.”

Records indicate that Coleman used “Walter” as a first name after a credit union sued him for $10,000 in debt under the name of “Evan Coleman.

Another question surrounds Coleman’s military record. Kennedale City Manager Bob Hart is one of several people who say Coleman represented himself as a veteran.

“My impression is that he would have served in Vietnam, because he’s made comments in that regard,” Hart said.

But when pressed, Coleman told News 8 he was never in the military.

He runs the Fallen Heroes Foundation from his home in Mansfield, which until recently was also the home of the Texas/Louisiana Fallen Heroes Foundation.

Although Coleman has given documents to the City of Kennedale which include a non-existent employer identification number, or EIN, Coleman passes it off as an innocent error.

In Kennedale, construction crews are already working on a new road that would have gone by the memorial. The City of Kennedale says it will now investigate the background of the Fallen Heroes Foundation.

The city has signed a contract to sell 15 acres of land to the foundation, but Hart says Kennedale has not lost any money in the deal. “They’ve signed the contract, yes. But the contract allows for an 18-month window in which to raise funds to acquire the land,” Hart said.

The Texas Attorney General has asked the Fallen Heroes Foundation for all of their records.

The man who says he is “Walter Raleigh Evan Coleman Jr.” says he has only collected $1,000 for his $50 million project. But he’s the only one who knows the real total.



This article was in the Fort Worth Star Telegram this morning. It is about the supposedly scam that I previously sent out

http://www.star-telegram.com/2010/08/02/2378827/manfield-mans-past-questions-about.html


This message was sent by jimwboyd@vvaft.org via http://addthis.com.  Please note that AddThis does not verify email addresses.

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