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For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. 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. The Commission vigorously enforces violations of section 227. Through interviews with the former callers and donors, reviews of call scripts and visits to threecall centers in Alabama, Reuters has obtained rare access into the world of these for-profit fundraisers, a tiny but lucrative niche of the multi-billion-dollar U.S. telemarketing industry. 03/03/2023, 43 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. 5. documents in the last year, by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission Caller name: Committee for Police Officer's Defense. 3. Ultimately, changes must come at the federal level, said Ellen Weintraub, a Democrat who chairs the Federal Election Commission. First, we find that there is value in maintaining the separate informal consumer complaint process. offers a preview of documents scheduled to appear in the next day's We work to advance government policies that protect consumers and promote competition. 22. The Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau uses this Document Drafting Handbook Most of the guys that are real good are felons., Regulators responsible for protecting U.S. consumers from potentially unscrupulous fundraisers face a bedeviling new challenge: the scam PAC.. Demonstrators attempt to enter the U.S. Capitol during a protest on Jan. 6, 2021. 154(i), 154(j), and 227, and section 10(a) of the Pallone-Thune Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence Act, Public Law 116-105, 133 Stat. Pepsi and the NRA did not respond to requests for comment. Former Politicause employee Armstrong said he was fired in 2018, when the call center did charity fundraising, for having drugs at work. A Rule by the Federal Communications Commission on 09/23/2021. Looking for legal documents or records? At 1 p.m., we will march to the Capitol building and call on Congress to stop the steal, said the voice on the recording, which was obtained by NBC News. Quoting from its website, the "Committee for Police Officers' Defense is a 527 Committee designed to seek out radical prosecutors, judges and district attorneys." Another organization is. 12. 14. P, sec. The President of the United States communicates information on holidays, commemorations, special observances, trade, and policy through Proclamations. 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. In a statement to NBC News, Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall, who runs the fund, said the calls were sent out without his knowledge. 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. e.g., Victor J. When organizations operate as political action committees, however, they are not subject to the laws governing charity fundraising, according to federal and state regulators and telemarketing industry officials. Register documents. You are not lying, but you are being extremely misleading. Melaleuca, an online wellness shopping club, gave $290,000 to the Republican Attorneys General Association in 2020. Find legal resources and guidance to understand your business responsibilities and comply with the law. Some of the most aggressive actions against allegedly deceptive PACs and their fundraisers have come from state or local law enforcement officials. The Bureau will review information submitted through the portal to assess violations of the rules in the same manner that it reviews information submitted to the Commission through other means. Timely and thorough information from private entities is crucial to enable the Commission to mitigate illegal robocall incidents and bring swift enforcement actions. 47 U.S.C. Committee type: Super PAC (Independent Expenditure-Only) Committee designation: Unauthorized. Our PAC contributions to both the Republican and Democratic Attorneys General associations were used strictly for attorneys generals campaign purposes, the spokesperson said in a statement. on 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. Callers told Reuters they easily made the switch, working in the same buildings, for the same bosses, using similar scripts. Jul 10, 2020, 08:10 ET. rendition of the daily Federal Register on FederalRegister.gov does not documents in the last year, 513 Rather, they and their fundraisers present the PACs as charities, suggesting they support veterans, firefighters or victims of deadly diseases, for instance. It is further ordered Private entity submissions of spoofing violations. What is wrong with giving somebody a second chance? Zeitlin responded when Reuters asked about his hiring practices. The calls always seem to come when you least expect it. fcc504@fcc.gov The "Committee for Police Officer's Defense" (CPOD) was configured in order to complete an intrinsic goal. This feature is not available for this document. These tools are designed to help you understand the official document 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. The FRFA is set forth in Appendix C. 18. For further information, contact Daniel Stepanicich, Attorney, Telecommunications Consumers Division, Enforcement Bureau, at (202) 418-7451 or for better understanding how a document is structured but For the reasons discussed in the preamble, the Federal Communications Commission proposes to amend 47 CFR parts 0 and 64 as follows: 1. 24. documents in the last year, 83 I had breast cancer, so they knew how to get me, she said. The Report and Order contains new or modified information collection requirements subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA). Good evening this is Mike Stevens calling for the Committee for police officers defense this calls recorded for quality assurance Ok Hello hello. 11. Paxtons office did not respond to a request for comment. on FederalRegister.gov Police officer's scam robocall warning goes viral The "GMA" team of insiders analyzes some of the biggest stories trending this morning. 227(e). The portal will collect contact information of the reporting entity, information about the suspected illegal robocall, and a description of the robocall incident. During today's hearing, the Committee heard from local law enforcement, the U.S. 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. Here it would be virtually impossible for the consumer to do any research, he said. shall be effective We amend our rules to establish a streamlined process for private entities to submit information about violations of Sections 227(b) and 227(e) of the Act to the Commission. But because that suggested donors were contributing directly to purchasing new gear, the callers said they were told by managers to adjust their language. include documents scheduled for later issues, at the request ) on December 8, 2020, proposing to establish a streamlined process for private entities to submit information about robocall violations to the Commission. Additional technical issues may arise in the future, and those decisions can be made by the Bureau. Many companies that donated to the Republican Attorneys General Association also gave to the Democratic Party equivalent. Drug abuse was a problem at both call centers, ex-employees said. The portal is available for use by private entities that wish to submit information about suspected robocall or spoofing violations. 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 ( The company later was renamed Politicause. Counts are subject to sampling, reprocessing and revision (up or down) throughout the day. Definition of Private Entity. 4. Federal Do Not Call rules do not apply to political or nonprofit fundraising. Some of the workers for TPFE also had felony convictions, according to several former callers and court records. 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. Once submitted, the Bureau will review to determine whether the information presents evidence of a violation of our rules. None of the three managers Reuters was able to identify could be reached for comment. 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. and services, go to The rules we adopt today create a streamlined process by which a private entity may submit information about suspected robocall and spoofing violations directly to the Bureau via an online portal located on the FCC website. Further Information. If you are using public inspection listings for legal research, you provide legal notice to the public or judicial notice to the courts. Date Blocked March 12, 2022 Call Activity Low Last detected 10 months ago Block this robocall and over 6,210,974 more! Its the only thing in life Ive ever been (expletive) good at, said Armstrong, who records show has theft and drug convictions. Private entities and consumers who wish to submit information or complaints about robocalls will be directed on the FCC website to the appropriate intake process for their situationthe new portal for private entities or the existing informal consumer complaint process for consumers. documents in the last year, 35 Jan. 8, 2021, 5:36 PM PST. Even so, Reuters identified a loose network of fundraising companies and PACs that quickly grew into a money-making force, with some ranking near the top fundraisers in the period stretching from January 2017 through mid-2019. 2. He said only that it was based in Florida; Reuters could not determine the specific jurisdiction. Federal election laws were designed to prevent corruption, he said, not to protect consumers.. Another enforcement action relied extensively on information from an industry group, the USTelecom's Industry Traceback Group (Traceback Group). We kind of all understood what we were doing was wrong, but I needed a place to live.. 4. James Dellinger, 34, said he and other callers got in the door with a remarkable qualification they were in jail. documents in the last year, by the Coast Guard Commenters raise concerns that the new streamlined portal will create consumer confusion or duplicate current processes. Neither he nor other officials at his company returned requests for comment. And, as he has been saying since moments after seeing news break, the violence and destruction we saw at the U.S. Capitol is unacceptable and un-American.. 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. Accordingly, <25 Employees . documents in the last year, 822 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. Only official editions of the These workers were a convenient labor pool and skilled at getting people to open their wallets, former callers said. 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. ), send an email to Sections 227(b), (c), and (d) impose specific requirements on telemarketing and prerecorded voice message calls to give consumers the ability to know who is calling and to control the calls they receive. The FTC declined to comment. 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. Solicitors asking you to donate to charity. 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. publication in the future. 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. it is ordered In this document, we have created a new online portal located on the Commission website where private entities, including small businesses, may submit information about robocall or spoofing violations. the current document as it appeared on Public Inspection on from 36 agencies. The current informal consumer complaint process is a vital tool for the Commission. 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. Gifts to actual charities are; donations to PACs, which sometimes sound like charities, are not. Never disclose personal information. Or follow the simplest rule: Never give to anyone over the phone, said Margot Saunders, senior counsel for the National Consumer Law Center. documents in the last year, 853 Consumers are already served by the existing informal complaint intake process, and the TRACED Act gives no indication that Congress intended to upset or replace that process. Appendix A, Reuters gains rare access into the world of fundraising for these charitable-sounding political action committees, a tiny but profitable niche in the U.S. telemarketing industry. Find the resources you need to understand how consumer protection law impacts your business. documents in the last year, 282 We could no longer say, We are helping police officers get body armor, but we could say, We are supporting efforts to get them body armor, said Jackie Armstrong, 32, a former Politicause employee. In the Pallone-Thune Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence Act (TRACED Act), Congress directed the Commission to establish regulations to create a process that "streamlines the ways in which a private entity may voluntarily share with the Commission information relating to" a call or text message that violates . 801(a)(1)(A). daniel.stepanicich@fcc.gov. the official SGML-based PDF version on govinfo.gov, those relying on it for The President of the United States manages the operations of the Executive branch of Government through Executive orders. We had no knowledge of RAGAs association with the Rule of Law fund or any connection in the January 6 insurrectionists storm on the U.S. Capitol, spokesperson Brandon Scott said in a statement. are amended the Federal Register. documents in the last year, 1411 5. To achieve this objective, we direct the Enforcement Bureau to create and monitor an online portal located on the Commission legal research should verify their results against an official edition of 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. 727-335-7484 - Committee For Police Officer's Defense 727-335-7484 Complaint Level Low Medium High 1 User Complaints Caller Name Committee For Police Officer's Defense 1 Caller Type Scammer/Fraudster 1 File a Complaint Owner Info for 727-335-7484 User Complaints for (727) 335-7484 Caller name: Committee for Police Officer's Defense Beware: That Call for Police Donations May Be from a Political Action 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. on 25. The Commission will publish a document in the Its infuriating, said Angelides, who learned from Reuters that it was a PAC that got his money. They often are set up as super PACs, groups which in recent years have been empowered by the courts to raise and spend money in unlimited amounts, with little regulation. New Documents Information about this document as published in the Federal Register. We are appalled at the events that culminated in the storming of the U.S. Capitol, the company said in a statement. daniel.stepanicich@fcc.gov. Black's Law Dictionary defines entity as [a]n organization (such as a business or a governmental unit) that has a legal identity apart from its members or owners. Second, we find that, as a policy matter, we should exclude individuals from the definition of private entity as the term is used in section 10(a) of the TRACED Act. 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.. 1503 & 1507. If youre a PAC, and youre raising money for one purpose and doing something else, thats fraud, said Elizabeth Grant, who oversees the Oregon Department of Justice Charities unit. Start Printed Page 52841 Third, consumers will not be adversely affected by our decision to exclude them from the definition of private entity. 3274, this Report and Order, is hereby 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. Robocalls | Federal Trade Commission Lisa Cavazuti is an investigative reporter for the NBC News Investigative Unit. Police Officers' Defense Coalition Lastly, we delegate authority to the Bureau to make further decisions about administration of the portal. 562-512-7043 | 15625127043 - Phone Scam Alert! - Nomorobo by the Foreign Assets Control Office That process is a well-established one that consumers have come to understand and depend upon. About | Police Officers' Defense Coalition About the Federal Register We do not support any similar activities now, and will not in the future., A Microsoft spokesperson said: We condemn the actions taken by the RLDF and are raising our concerns directly with RAGA. (See accompanying article.) of the issuing agency. More Reuters investigations and long-form narratives, Got a confidential news tip? Committee for Police Officers' Defense (@CPOD_4_Police) / Twitter informational resource until the Administrative Committee of the Federal Search the Legal Library instead. Congress did not define private entity in the TRACED Act. It is further ordered She is based in Washington. are not part of the published document itself. Mailing address: 8228 FAWN MEADOW AVE LAS VEGAS, NV 89149. regulatory information on FederalRegister.gov with the objective of announcing that compliance date and revising this paragraph accordingly. Against that background, Congress directed the Commission to develop a streamlined process for private entities to submit robocall information to the Commission. Earlier this week, we spoke out alongside others in the business community regarding the violence that unfolded at the U.S. Capitol.. All said they thought they were giving to a charity. When she later realized it was a PAC telemarketer, she felt exploited. 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. e.g., (b) For the purposes of this section, the term private entity shall mean any entity other than a natural individual person or a public entity. The Committee for Police Officers' Defense (CPOD) The "Committee for Police Officer's Defense" (CPOD) was configured in order to complete an intrinsic goal. Better Business Bureau (BBB) advises area residents to be cautious of phone calls or mailers soliciting donations to the National Police Support Fund, an organization that describes itself as a. We have never contributed to Rule of Law Defense Fund. https://ecfsapi.fcc.gov/file/06171386503472/FCC-21-75A3.pdf. Training was minimal, pressure relentless and turnover high, the workers said. Those calls used a recording of Trump's . While every effort has been made to ensure that The Sylacauga call center employed work release inmates, an arrangement that apparently ended before 2018, the former callers said. We released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking ( BBB Advises Potential Donors to be Cautious If Solicited by the We enforce federal competition and consumer protection laws that prevent anticompetitive, deceptive, and unfair business practices. on that, pursuant to 1.4(b)(1) and 1.427(a) of the Commission's rules, 47 CFR 1.4(b)(1), 1.427(a), this Report and Order and the amendments to parts 0 and 64 of the Commission's rules, as set forth in (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.). Reporters visited the center last summer, though it has since closed. In this document, the Federal Communications Commission (Commission) adopts rules to implement the Pallone-Thune Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence Act (TRACED Act) to streamline the process by which private entities may submit information to the Commission about violations of the Communications Act. 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. 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 Some fundraisers work in both worlds, raising money for charities andPACs. 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. 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. on NARA's archives.gov. Across the industry, calls are computer-generated before being routed to telemarketers, something Politicause and TPFE employees said allowed their firms to maximize the number of calls and to pester people repeatedly. This site displays a prototype of a Web 2.0 version of the daily Donation | Police Officers' Defense Coalition 10. i.e., We find that our decision to exclude individual consumers from the definition of private entity will greatly reduce, if not eliminate, potential confusion. Zeitlin, whose operations also have been examinedby the Center for Public Integrity and other media outlets, said on his website that hes never been accused, indicted, tried or convicted of anything.. OMB, the general public, and other Federal agencies will be invited to comment on the new or modified information collection requirements contained in this proceeding. or call the Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau at 202-418-0530 (voice). The call center in Sylacauga, visited by Reuters last year, was operated by Las Vegas-based TPFE Inc, a firm controlled by Zeitlin. Mission | Committee for Police Officers Defense or to request reasonable accommodations ( Republican AGs group sent robocalls urging march to the Capitol - NBC News Gelvan was not accused of wrongdoing in the Montgomery County investigation. While we encourage private entities to make use of the registered consortium's resources, we decline to mandate that private entities must coordinate with the consortium prior to submitting information to the Commission. . Delegated Authority. Verify: Law enforcement charity phone calls - KSDK 227(b). If new workers werent making sales, they were quickly fired. 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. Braille, large print, electronic files, audio format, etc.) The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely. We agree with Twilio that private entities and consumers should be directed to a centralized reporting mechanism, but we also find that the new portal should be distinct from the existing informal consumer complaint process. The groups share funding, staff and office space in Washington, D.C. 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 Generally, those in the informal network portrayed themselves as charitable, gave little to the causes they promoted and relied principally on small donors. 23. Thus, if Congress had intended to include individuals, we presume that it would have used the term person. Moreover, in other statutes the term private entity is often used to refer to organizations rather than individuals. Updated: 05/04/2018 05:00 AM EDT. More information and documentation can be found in our Reuters Investigates offers several ways to securely contact our reporters.