One Eye: Charitable Tax Evasion?

When GA's monocular sleuth One-Eye spots malfeasance, he never blinks.

Yesterday our suspicious Cyclops hinted that Mason's "charitable organization" may be a 'shell' company to conceal the movement of money to political operatives, campaigns and political activities that as a 501(c)(3), is funded by public money and tax-exempt.

If so, this suggests that the Queen of Transparency, Beth Mason, her mega-millions law firm equity partner hubby, Richard Mason of Wachtell, Liption, Rosen & Katz, L.L.P. AND a Weehawken anchovy, James Barracato, were running a tax-evasion scam on the general public AND the I.R.S. called The Mason Civic League, Inc.

Could it be?  Our uni-lens scout went searching for the truth. 

Once he confirmed the charter for Mason's 501(c)(3), The Mason Civic league, Inc., was still active, One-Eye checked to see if it was registered with the N.J. Division of Consumer Affairs.

Here's what he found in the Directory of Registered Charities online database:

Mason Civic League's Certificate of Incorporation was issued on July 21, 2010, but the charity was registered 7 months earlier on December 31, 2009.

 GA, note that there is something curious about the phone number that is listed for the charity.  It appears to be an old number that Mason used to give out for people to contact her and appears on various informational sites on the web, like the Hoboken Family Alliance, where her numbers is listed here.  It's no longer an active listing and belongs to a Jersey City resident named (redacted).

Here's where the Masons get in deep doo-doo. 

All registered charitable organizations are required to report expenditures for the fiscal year- the forms are online- the process is simple. If the Mason charity was on the up-and-up, here's what they would be reporting annually:

1. Program Expense: Cost of furthering the organization’s stated purpose for soliciting donations.
2. Management Expense: Cost of operations, including salaries, daily operations, utilities, etc.
3. Fund Raising Expense: Cost of solicitations, professional fund raisers, fundraising activities, etc.
4. Payments to Affiliates: Funds paid to affiliated organizations. 

By filing an initial registration, the Mason Civic League acknowledged that it is covered by the Charities Act (N.J.S.A. 45:17A-18).  Which means, after the initial filing, there is an annual filing obligation. 

Looking at the records for the Mason Civic League, however, the last filing for the League was in 2009, and it curiously lists no income and expenditures, not even a start-up donation by Ricky Mason.

As you can see from the statute, there are various enforcement provisions and penalties for failure to comply with the obligation to maintain an updated registration.

The Division of Consumer Affairs has primary administrative, investigatory and regulatory authority, and the Attorney General has the authority to act under both the not for profit statute as well as the provisions of the Charities Act in the event that various violations have been committed by a not for profit entity. 

If Beth and Ricky Mason had filed annually, they would have been forced to disclose the sources of the funding for the entity as well as the expenditures. 

Since it appears that there are at least two employees of the League, it would have to generate enough income to pay those employees. 

Per the registration statement required of every entity that must file, even if the League qualified for the short form (see Question 8), they would still have to list the top 5 paid employees, their names and titles in Question 16, and also fill out the short from financial statement which sets forth the annual income and expenses of the entity. It even has a line on the income side to identify the contributions from the founder(s). 

So now what to make of this. I asked my friend, the one who went away on a federal vacation, and all he said was something about getting a good attorney.  

Not sure what is worse, the balls not to ever file an annual report or the fact that they've been asking the taxpayers to subsidize their political machinations. I would be amazed if they had not taken some kind of tax deduction for funding their “magnanimous” charity.

Thank you, One-Eye!  Let's recap.

• No mandated expense reports filed by the Masons for almost 3 YEARS.  
• Political operatives on the Masons' payroll: videographer Tim, Not-Perry, Ryan Yacco, Tania Garcia, Matt Calicchio, Finboy© Barracato... who else?  Does she pay ALL of them from her 501(c)(3)?  If not, how are the others paid- they never show up on her ELECs (except for Yaaco's Bluewater Operations).
• Finboy© Barracato on the charity's Board buying Hoboken Reporter ads paid for with charity-CASH concurently peddling Nazi-tales to the paper against Mason's political critics...

4 consecutive weeks of 'Mason Family Civic League' ads when Mason Civic League, Inc. BOARD member James Barracato was pitching Nazi-Tales against Mason critics.

•  Massive Mason 'street money' cash infusions during elections- did you know that Mason political operative Ryan Yacco was an Officer of Bluewater Operations, LLC- the 'consultants' who 'distribute' the piles of cash.

Treasurer Ricky Mason of Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz ,/br>signed off on 52K in street money for his wife's
City Council campaign!

• Hidden Expenses.  24/7 campaign ad on Hoboken411.com, years of pro-Mason spin by ghostwriter-operative Lane Bajardi yet webmaster Perry Klaussen neither have  EVER appeared on a Mason ELEC report.   How did she pay Hoboken411?

• Lane Bajardi who appeared to work for her full-time from 2009-2011- how was he paid?

Famous 'Midnight video' of political operatives at Tim Occhipinti's headquarters.  Mason wheeled at least $13,400 dollars to Occhipinti's campaign in an alleged quid pro quo to become City Council president.

Want to know what GALLS me?

Ricky Mason, the golden goose who rakes millions into the Mason coffers annually as an equity partner at Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, L.L.P. and his wife can WELL afford to pay their staff on the up-and-up. They can well afford to pay taxes.  But why do that when you can (allegedly) get the general public to fund your political machine by registering it as a charity!  And probably take an income tax-deduction on it to boot!  So WE have to fund their skulduggery- like the harassment of a public official in the presence of her 5 year-old daughter on public school grounds!

What a pair of schmucks!  Allegedly.

Actually, I'm sure they are. 

And, Hudson County is just brimming with scum-buckets who'll aid and abet this kind of  greedy, self-centered schmuck-ery for a price.  Enter henchman Finboy© Barracato.

One-Eye, you are welcome to plumb the abyss of the Masons' ethics but...

May the I.R.S. and Attorney General do their own investigation at what may be a public-funded political operation, a possible phony income tax deduction, and all kinds of tax-evasion.

Charitable Registration and Investigation Act

N.J.S.A. 45:17A-19. Findings, declarations

2. The Legislature finds and declares that in order to protect the public from fraud and deceptive practices, it is essential that information concerning charitable fund raising activities of charitable organizations, professional fund raisers, commercial co-venturers and solicitors be readily available to the people of this State. 

GA Note: Horsey's got a  piece up over at the barn- it looks like great minds and eyeballs think alike!  Check it out!