Gift a Vet Charity Can't Back Up Claims Donations Go To Veterans

NBC Bay Area ^ | Thursday, Aug 13, 2015 | Vicky Nguyen and David Paredes

[nickcarraway]

The self-proclaimed charity, Gift a Vet, would not provide any records that they have helped a single veteran.

Bill Hampshire served in the US Air Force for 20 years from 1994 to 2014. So when his wife, also a veteran, dropped a few dollars into a donation box for “Gift A Vet” outside his Los Gatos grocery store, he didn’t think much of it. Then he asked the man collecting the money about his service.

“He said he wasn’t a vet, that he worked for the Department of Defense,” Hampshire said. “I said ‘Why are you wearing a uniform if you’re not a veteran? Why are you pretending or implying you’re a vet and tricking people in to donating money to you?’”

Hampshire wasn’t satisfied with the answers he received.

“They never explained how much money they’ve ever given out.”

Over several weeks, NBC Bay Area producers used undercover cameras to record Gift A Vet’s operations. They recorded the group's co-founder Fallean Mintz, and a man who introduced himself as Bob, collecting cash donations from shoppers outside a Whole Foods and Lunardi’s grocery store on Blossom Hill Road in Los Gatos.

Mintz told our producers that he used to work for the Department of Defense. Bob said he served five years with the Civil Air Patrol, a volunteer organization that performs tasks such as disaster relief and search and rescue. Neither man served in the military.

“It’s kind of like asking a person if they were in the Marines and the response was Boy Scouts! It’s not the same thing at all,” Hampshire said. What’s more, the Department of Defense emailed NBC Bay Area indicating it didn’t “have any record of his name on file.

Mintz said that all donations go to veterans. However, Bob told Hampshire and our hidden cameras he keeps 40% of what he collects.

“On the weekends here, we average about 200 donations. In the average box it’s roughly $200, $250 on the weekends. Maybe $300,” said Mintz on hidden camera. Mintz made multiple claims about how that money is used to help veterans. He said they worked with the Homeless Veterans Recovery Program in Santa Clara County. He also said they help veterans at the county court.

The acting director of the county office of Veterans Services, Armando Murillo, told us that the "Homeless Veterans Recovery Program" doesn’t exist and that he has never heard of Gift a Vet. A spokesman for the Santa Clara County Veteran’s Court gave a similar statement: “The Court does not nor has ever had any relationship of any kind with Gift a Vet or Fallean Mintz/Dorothy Arndt.”

Mintz told our hidden cameras that Dorothy Arndt is his wife and the co-founder of Gift a Vet. “She’s out seven days a week, 12 hours a day, working with veterans. Directly helping veterans,” said Mintz.

But just a few weeks later, when we requested an interview with Arndt, Mintz changed his story. He said she’s been ill for the past year. She didn’t return our calls or emails for comment and we never saw Arndt collecting donations with Mintz or Bob.

Records the Investigative Unit obtained show Mintz and Arndt have a history with law enforcment.

Arndt is listed on the Illinois sex offender registry, convicted in 2007 for aggravated sexual abuse of a 15 year old. Mintz was arrested in Florida in 2007 for third degree grand theft but failed to appear in court. A warrant was issued for his arrest. Two years later, police found him in Illinois, but charges were later dismissed. When we tried to ask Mintz about his claims and the work of Gift A Vet, he walked away from our cameras. He later declined to provide any documents or proof that Gift a Vet has helped anyone.

“You should really be cautious around unsolicited donations, people asking you for cash when you’re not familiar with their organization,” said Evan Paul, vice president of products for Guidestar. The organization tracks 2.4 million non-profits and charities registered in the United States to help people decide where to send their donations.

Guidestar data reveals there are 45,429 non-profits in the U.S. that serve veterans. Nearly a quarter of those organizations, 10,341, were created after 9/11. California is home to about 2,500 non-profits serving vets.

“The vast majority of them are great organizations doing great work,” Paul said. “They should be able to show you the track record of achievement. If they can’t show you that, then look for an organization that can.”

Air Force veteran Bill Hampshire said that’s what he hopes people will do.

“There are lots of military charities that provide great services for our military vets," he said. "It bothers me to see our vets aren’t receiving these donations intended for them.”

[2ndDivisionVet]

Even a real veteran is not allowed to wear the uniform except in certain limited circumstances.

[Catmom]

Too many “charities” exploit the natural desire many people have to give back to those who risk their lives for others.

Using a website like Charity Navigator is a good way to make sure such donations are not being wasted.

[nickcarraway]

I talked to this man several times outside the supermarket, but I never gave him money. I am no expert, but to me, his “uniform” appeared to be in some kind of military style, but not an actual uniform. Anyway, it didn’t look like any uniform of a U.S. service I’ve seen, so he may not be actually breaking the law on that front. And when I asked him if he served, he said he never had, but he’d worked for the DOD.

[Jet Jaguar]

Active Duty/Retiree/Vet ping.

[UCANSEE2]

“Guidestar data reveals there are 45,429 non-profits in the U.S. that serve veterans.”

Oddly, the percent of money that actually goes to veterans is about the same as the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere.

[nickcarraway]

Ping

[UCANSEE2]

but he’d worked for the DOD.

As what... a janitor ?

[nickcarraway]

No, I think he said he was an economist or something. He said he was from New York and he had played college or semi-pro hockey in upstate New York.

[Organic Panic]

If you study results veterans’ charities have some of the lowest pass through of all charities. Give direct to local charities you can hold accountable.

[nickcarraway]

I always vet charities. Not just that they are legitimate, but that most of their money is used for the alleged purpose. Some charities it’s 10% or less. And they are, “legitimate.”

[rikkir]

Please tell me this guy is about to be arrested for fraud.

[Vendome]

I hate those lyin mthrfkrs.

[Mastador1]

Sorry, but I never ever give money to these clowns with their xeroxed placards and ammo can/tackle box collection devices. When I see an obvious person in need I try to help them out, but there are way too many scammers out there and standing at off ramps playing on the sympathies of people.Last year there was a twenty something in decent clothes holding a sign at an off ramp claiming he was a Desert Storm Vet and asking for help.

[Talisker]

Scammers.

[airborne]

Sadly, scumbags like this take advantage of a public willing to give to veterans causes - most without a second thought of whether or not this cause is legitimate.

Or how much of their donation actually gets to a veteran in need.

The group I belong to, Paralyzed Veterans of America, has a national organization and local Chapters (mine being the Keystone Chapter).

While I appreciate the work our National representatives do, I tell potential donors that if they want to help local veterans, donate to a local organization.

And while I won't turn down donations to my own Chapter, I've been pointing out a cause that is becoming an epidemic for veterans.

Veteran suicide.

EVERY DAY 22 veterans commit suicide!

So I would suggest anyone looking to help veterans find out where they can help with a local veterans suicide prevention effort and donate their time.

To a veteran in crisis, having someone to talk with is worth more than money can buy.

[bikerman]

American Legion 100% goes to Vets.

[Gaffer]

Where does the 128K number come from?

[Antoninus II]

It has to be scrubbed. No rank, unit, branch insignia. I wear my field jacket with name badge only. It’s just an olive drab jacket like worn by “Rambo, John J?”.

[Grampa Dave]

Two similar encounters.

One was one of these creeps outside a major retailer. A friend, a retired vet, challenged the creep and got the store manager to ask the creep to leave after his poor responses.

Another was a guy supposedly running an outdoor experience for disabled vets. His website failed my Norton Safe Search, and when I brought this up to him, his emails to me stopped.