A Mississippi animal shelter is accused of using charitable contributions on expenditures that do not match the nonprofit’s cause.
Mississippi Secretary of State Michael Watson said Monday that his office’s charities division issued a cease-and-desist order and a notice of intended actions against North Star Rescue, Inc. The Lucedale-based nonprofit is accused of spending $20,000 in contributions for non-charitable purposes.
The secretary’s team reported that after investigating North Star Rescue’s expenses, purchases were identified at a local smoke shop, GameStop, a beauty salon, and on Micro Wrestling — a professional wrestling event featuring athletes under five feet tall.
On top of the cease and desist order, the charities division revoked North Star Rescue’s charitable registration and dissolved the dog rescue center with the business services division, meaning the organization can no longer legally operate as a business in Mississippi. Watson said his team’s latest action followed numerous attempts at getting the charity to reimburse the funds.
“The Charities Division gave North Star Rescue’s officers and directors numerous opportunities to reimburse North Star Rescue for the misused charitable funds,” Watson stated. “The officers and directors of North Star Rescue failed to respond to the Charities Division and/or make the charity whole by reimbursing North Star Rescue for the non-charitable expenses.”
North Star Rescue has not publicly addressed the allegations.
