(COLUMBUS, Ohio) – Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine today announced an agreement with Florida-based Go Green For the Cause, Inc., Bin Boy Management LLC, Presidential Clothing Recyclers, and individuals Jay Katari and Nicole Leve to stop charitable solicitations in Ohio.
An Attorney General investigation found that Go Green For the Cause, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, collected $19,000 worth of recycled clothing in Ohio claiming it would benefit environmental causes, but instead most of the money went to Jay Katari’s for-profit businesses.
“Businesses can’t create phony charities in order to make more money for themselves,” Attorney General DeWine said. “Ohioans have a right to know how their donations will be used, and in this case, most of their contributions were helping for-profit businesses instead of charitable causes.”
Jay Katari, the owner of Bin Boy Management and Presidential Clothing Recyclers, worked with Nicole Leve to create Go Green For the Cause. Together, the operation placed large clothing recycle bins in store parking lots and other locations in Ohio to collect clothing donations. Language on the bins indicated that the donations would fund the nonprofit Go Green For the Cause. In reality, most of the proceeds went to fund Jay Katari’s for-profit businesses, and very little of the proceeds went to the charity. Go Green For the Cause was not registered as a charitable organization with the Ohio Attorney General’s Office, and Presidential Clothing Recyclers never filed the required $25,000 bond to solicit in Ohio.
Under the terms of the Assurance of Discontinuance, Presidential Clothing Recyclers will pay a $44,000 fine to the Ohio Attorney General’s Office, which will be used for environmental preservation causes. Go Green For the Cause also will dissolve and distribute its assets to environmental preservation causes. The parties also agree that they will not hold any position in or participate in soliciting donations for any charitable organization in Ohio.
For additional information about a charity or to file a complaint against a questionable organization, individuals should call the Attorney General’s Office at 800-282-0515 or go online at www.OhioAttorneyGeneral.gov.
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Documents
Assurance of Discontinuance
Recycling Bin Photo 1
Recycling Bin Photo 2
Media Contacts
Dan Tierney: 614-466-3840
Kate Hanson: 614-466-3840