What? You mean you can not register with the IRS as a charity when your sole purpose is to make money and promote political propaganda? In what is sure to birth another conspiracy theory in it's own right, someone filed a complaint with the IRS about this group, which seems to ask for donations to fund it;s for profit......well, who knows, but it is rather amusing. The claim seems to indicate that the birther investigators are taking advantage of those foolish enough to donate to them. And yet the saga continues. http://blogs.phoenixnewtimes.com/valleyfever/2012/07/joe_arpaio_birther_club_hit_wi.php Believe it or not, someone out there doesn't believe Sheriff Joe Arpaio's Cold Case Posse/birther club qualifies as a "charity." A complaint to that effect was filed with the Internal Revenue Service a few weeks ago, which is referenced through the Fogbow's extensive library of information on Arpaio's "investigation" into President Obama's birth certificate. The identity of the accuser is redacted, but the complaint pegs "investigator" Mike Zullo with accusations of using the so-called "charity" for political purposes, and with the intent to turn a profit. According to the Arizona Corporation Commission's rules, you can't run a charity with the purpose of "carrying on of propaganda," among other things, and the IRS says the type of charity that the posse claims to be can't just "[participate or intervene], directly or indirectly, in any political campaign on behalf of or in opposition to any candidate for public office." For those who have followed the actions of the posse, it probably seems like that's exactly what it's doing. Whoever filed the complaint claims the posse is in direct opposition to the campaign of President Obama -- and is very heavily tied to tea party activists -- and points to the evidence that people are profiting off the posse. The person who filed the complaint probably thinks people are profiting from the posse because conspiracy theorist Jerome Corsi said so. He told Channel 3 that he and Zullo are selling an e-book online about the Cold Case Posse's "investigation" online, and they're splitting the profits. On top of that, the entire "investigation" is a sham, so that probably won't help the posse's case. Zullo's listed as the chief officer of the posse, so the complaint points to him and his failure to keep the Cold Case Posse legitimate as a "charity." The complaint asks to revoke the posse's status as a charity -- which could increase the visibility of the financial numbers in the future -- and suggests a series of penalty taxes the IRS could impose if it investigates and eventually agrees with the complaint's allegations. Another document from the IRS shows that it has received the complaint, and it's being "considered." Check out the complaint below:
