Russell Wilson Charity Scam

[wppete]

Really shocking reports out there of Russell Wilson scamming people threw his charity for millions. A lot of info out there. It’s amazing how far Russel Wilson has fallen, I guess people were right he is a true fraud. 
 

https://www.sbnation.com/platform/amp/nfl/2023/2/9/23592757/russell-wilson-ciara-charity-scam-nfl

[US Egg]

A charitable cause that is fraudulent?

 

…..if folks only knew how few of the dollars donated to a charity actually go to the said “charity”.

[wppete]

1 minute ago, I am the egg man said:

A charitable cause that is fraudulent?

 

…..if folks only knew how few of the dollars donated to a charity actually go to the said “charity”.

Completely agree. I think a lot of people are starting to figure this out.  

[GolfandBills]

2 minutes ago, I am the egg man said:

A charitable cause that is fraudulent?

 

…..if folks only knew how few of the dollars donated to a charity actually go to the said “charity”.

He’s probably the CEO of the charity.  Big salary lol

[US Egg]

Professional charitable organizers.

 

Yeah, they do it because they care…..about themselves.

[vincec]

A lot worse ones out there than that…

https://moneyinc.com/worst-charities-you-shouldnt-be-donating-to/

[boyst]

12 minutes ago, I am the egg man said:

A charitable cause that is fraudulent?

 

…..if folks only knew how few of the dollars donated to a charity actually go to the said “charity”.

Most any non profit is shady like this. Especially ones getting grants. 

[Richard Noggin]

1 minute ago, boyst said:

Most any non profit is shady like this. Especially ones getting grants. 

That's an insane claim. Of course it's criminal when fraudsters use charitable causes to enrich themselves. But not even remotely true that "most any non profit is shady like this." 

[Royale with Cheese]

35 minutes ago, I am the egg man said:

A charitable cause that is fraudulent?

 

…..if folks only knew how few of the dollars donated to a charity actually go to the said “charity”.

I think the decent ones average like 40%-45% towards the cause.

[GolfandBills]

18 minutes ago, Richard Noggin said:

That's an insane claim. Of course it's criminal when fraudsters use charitable causes to enrich themselves. But not even remotely true that "most any non profit is shady like this." 

Let me guess.. You probably think Columbus sailed the ocean blue in 1492 and discovered America too right?

[K D]

Think twice before donating to any charity and do some research. Consider "what's in it for them" and follow the money. A very large portion of the proceeds don't go to the cause you are donating to and that's pretty standard. It's better to actually get out there and do something yourself. It doesn't have to be financial, sometimes your time is more valuable to those in need. If someone runs a charity I pretty much assume they are a scam artist 

[Shaw66]

22 minutes ago, Richard Noggin said:

That's an insane claim. Of course it's criminal when fraudsters use charitable causes to enrich themselves. But not even remotely true that "most any non profit is shady like this." 

You're correct about this.   The extent of ignorance about nonprofits is remarkable, and it comes out on this board whenever there's a report like this.  

 

Notice that this article doesn't say how much anyone in the foundation actually got paid, other than one friend of Wilson's being paid $100,000.  Directors of many nonprofits are not paid anything, and this report doesn't say how much, if anything, all of these directors are paid.  

 

The report also says the foundation had revenues of $7.5 million but distributed only $2.8 million.  It DOESN'T say the rest of the money went to Wilson's friends or others.  It's quite possible, in fact likely, that the Foundation is making grants over time; if they passed out all the money immediately, the Foundation would close up shop unless more money came it.  And if they're in the business of giving scholarships, they want to build endowment.   In other words, there are plenty of reasons why they might not have distributed the whole $7.5 million.  

 

Plus, where do you think the $7.5 million came from?   Almost certainly, the biggest portion of the money came from Russ and his wife, probably a million or more, maybe several million.   Do you think Wilson is putting all that money in just to waste it?   And if you do think that, whose being defrauded by this foundation?  Wilson, that's who.   So, he's making charitable donations to defraud himself?   

 

Are there fraudulent charities?  Sure.  Is the country awash in fraudulent charities?   No.  There aren't weekly reports in the news about charities stealing from people.  Charities do good work.   

[17islongenough]

Be careful you may get sued

[78thealltimegreat]

Someone in Hollywood needs to call Brett Farve and get him to do a reality show with Russ. 

[Shaw66]

So, one of the trustees of Wilson's foundation is Larry Estrada.   He is also a trustee of the Seattle Foundation, which has $1.5 BILLION in assets.   Here's his bio from the Seattle Foundation website:

Quote

 

As a native Washingtonian and having grown up in Bellingham, Larry has strong ties to the Pacific Northwest. Larry provides financial advice, education and investment management expertise to high net worth family groups, foundations, endowments, and Native American tribes across the U.S. Prior to joining Goldman Sachs, Larry established and managed a global government relations team at Hewlett-Packard. While at HP, he served as an advisor to the company’s CEO and executive council on tax and technology policy issues in the U.S. and emerging markets.

 

Larry received an MBA from Harvard Business School and an MPA from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government and graduated from Stanford University with a concentration in behavioral economics. Larry is a 2018 Puget Sound Business Journal 40-under-40 honoree for his civic and business impact in the region. Larry previously served on the corporate advisory board for the World Economic Forum and he currently serves as a board member for Russell & Ciara Wilson’s Why Not You Foundation, the Seattle Symphony, University of Washington Foundation, and IslandWood.

 

This guy probably makes $500,000 a year at Goldman Sachs.   He's a high-profile guy at a major US financial institution.   Does anyone really think he's on the board of WIlson's foundation so he can scam it out of, what, $10,000 a year?    Does anyone really think a guy like this is activity participating in some fraud with Wilson?   It's absurd.  

[John from Riverside]

I only donate to charities for veterans, and some of them have been iffy

[US Egg]

2 minutes ago, Shaw66 said:

So, one of the trustees of Wilson's foundation is Larry Estrada.   He is also a trustee of the Seattle Foundation, which has $1.5 BILLION in assets.   Here's his bio from the Seattle Foundation website:

This guy probably makes $500,000 a year at Goldman Sachs.   He's a high-profile guy at a major US financial institution.   Does anyone really think he's on the board of WIlson's foundation so he can scam it out of, what, $10,000 a year?    Does anyone really think a guy like this is activity participating in some fraud with Wilson?   It's absurd.  

My kid is an attorney and has a degree in finances. 

 

Not meaning to refute your assertion here, but, man what some people in these professions sink to for a few scraps…..

 

Well, nothing surprises me when it comes to greed.

[Orlando Buffalo]

I stopped giving except to a few specific charities in the early 2000s when I found out who crooked the United Way was. They might be good now but for a time they were spending a ton of money on "fundraising" and salaries of their board. I give to my own religious group and the Salvation Army, who is also a religious group. I do recommending researching and figuring out one or two groups to give to. 

[sullim4]

58 minutes ago, Shaw66 said:

You're correct about this.   The extent of ignorance about nonprofits is remarkable, and it comes out on this board whenever there's a report like this.  

 

Notice that this article doesn't say how much anyone in the foundation actually got paid, other than one friend of Wilson's being paid $100,000.  Directors of many nonprofits are not paid anything, and this report doesn't say how much, if anything, all of these directors are paid.  

 

The report also says the foundation had revenues of $7.5 million but distributed only $2.8 million.  It DOESN'T say the rest of the money went to Wilson's friends or others.  It's quite possible, in fact likely, that the Foundation is making grants over time; if they passed out all the money immediately, the Foundation would close up shop unless more money came it.  And if they're in the business of giving scholarships, they want to build endowment.   In other words, there are plenty of reasons why they might not have distributed the whole $7.5 million.  

 

Plus, where do you think the $7.5 million came from?   Almost certainly, the biggest portion of the money came from Russ and his wife, probably a million or more, maybe several million.   Do you think Wilson is putting all that money in just to waste it?   And if you do think that, whose being defrauded by this foundation?  Wilson, that's who.   So, he's making charitable donations to defraud himself?   

 

Are there fraudulent charities?  Sure.  Is the country awash in fraudulent charities?   No.  There aren't weekly reports in the news about charities stealing from people.  Charities do good work.   

 

The linked article isn't very complete.  Here's a copy from Yahoo Sports which cites the original USA Today article, which does cite the salaries paid out: https://sports.yahoo.com/russell-wilsons-why-not-you-foundation-reportedly-spent-more-on-employee-salaries-than-charitable-activities-185532088.html

 

Quote

Ryan Tarpley, the CEO of the foundation who also works for Ciara and Russell Wilson’s family office, made more than $200,000 annually the past two years, while executive director Carly Young earned more than $150,000 annually. Scott Pickett, the foundation's CFO who is also the president of Wilson’s brand management and production company, made around $60,000 per year for part-time work.

 

All I will add to the salary thing - the CEO of Northwest Harvest, one of the two major food banks in the Seattle area and one of the most well known charities in the region, is pulling in $175,000 according to Charity Navigator.  The salary itself is certainly comparable to Tarpley's, but size and scope of the two CEOs' workloads certainly cannot be compared.

 

It's entirely possible that everything is above board, but the response from Wilson's charity didn't refute any of the reporting.

Edited February 10, 2023 by sullim4

[JackKemp]

58 minutes ago, Shaw66 said:

You're correct about this.   The extent of ignorance about nonprofits is remarkable, and it comes out on this board whenever there's a report like this.  

 

Notice that this article doesn't say how much anyone in the foundation actually got paid, other than one friend of Wilson's being paid $100,000.  Directors of many nonprofits are not paid anything, and this report doesn't say how much, if anything, all of these directors are paid.  

 

The report also says the foundation had revenues of $7.5 million but distributed only $2.8 million.  It DOESN'T say the rest of the money went to Wilson's friends or others.  It's quite possible, in fact likely, that the Foundation is making grants over time; if they passed out all the money immediately, the Foundation would close up shop unless more money came it.  And if they're in the business of giving scholarships, they want to build endowment.   In other words, there are plenty of reasons why they might not have distributed the whole $7.5 million.  

 

Plus, where do you think the $7.5 million came from?   Almost certainly, the biggest portion of the money came from Russ and his wife, probably a million or more, maybe several million.   Do you think Wilson is putting all that money in just to waste it?   And if you do think that, whose being defrauded by this foundation?  Wilson, that's who.   So, he's making charitable donations to defraud himself?   

 

Are there fraudulent charities?  Sure.  Is the country awash in fraudulent charities?   No.  There aren't weekly reports in the news about charities stealing from people.  Charities do good work.   

I agree that a scholarship foundation will not distribute all of their funds every year. They likely have a target number and dollar amounts of scholarships that they want to be sustainable.