Oregon AG cracks down on several veterans' charities, fundraisers

The Oregon attorney general's office shut down a charity that claimed to help veterans, but instead pocketed most of the money it raised, leaving behind only "meager assets, which include little more than some t-shirts, bandanas and a weed [whacker]."

The four people who ran the charity, No Veterans Left Behind Association, settled with the attorney general's office to repay $4,800 to the Oregon Veterans home, and agreed not to do charity work anymore.

The AG's lawsuit says the charity set up booths in front of big retail stores in the state, asking for cash donations and selling veteran-related items. The lawsuit says the charity told store owners and potential donors the organization was all-volunteer and would give 75% to 80% of proceeds to veterans. Instead, it kept 80%, amounting to about $17,000.