Police Officers' Defense Coalition and Committee for Police Officers' Defense is committed to cleaning up the annals of justice by flushing out those who pretend to represent the people, but instead manipulate the system and the prosecute police officers as a stepping stone to their next higher political office. To achieve this objective, we direct the Enforcement Bureau to create and monitor an online portal located on the Commission adopted The Committee for Police Officers Defense is run by James J. Fotis, who is a retired New York Police officer, who ran unsuccessfully in 2007 for Sheriff of Manassas City / Manassas Park City / Prince William County. Lisa Cavazuti is an investigative reporter for the NBC News Investigative Unit. In the The site is secure. USTelecom requests that we encourage private entities to first coordinate with the registered traceback consortium prior to filing information in the portal. 804(2). For further information, contact Daniel Stepanicich, Attorney, Telecommunications Consumers Division, Enforcement Bureau, at (202) 418-7451 or These tools are designed to help you understand the official document 1. Register (ACFR) issues a regulation granting it official legal status. Republican AGs group sent robocalls urging march to the Capitol - NBC News Register, and does not replace the official print version or the official The President of the United States issues other types of documents, including but not limited to; memoranda, notices, determinations, letters, messages, and orders. Robocallers have apparently been using the name of a former Abilene City Councilman/Abilene businessman to try to entice people to give to a fake police charity. would create consumer confusion and duplicate existing Commission robocall information collection efforts. Generally, those in the informal network portrayed themselves as charitable, gave little to the causes they promoted and relied principally on small donors. Our past robocall enforcement actions have relied extensively upon information from private entities. We adopt rules to establish an online web portal where private entities may submit information about suspected violations of sections 227(b) and 227(e). 151, 152, 154, 201, 202, 217, 218, 220, 222, 225, 226, 227, 227b, 228, 251(a), 251(e), 254(k), 262, 276, 403(b)(2)(B), (c), 616, 620, 1401-1473, unless otherwise noted, Pub. Until the ACFR grants it official status, the XML Listen; Transcript I'm glad you picked up I'll get my answer machine voice ready. 14. The OFR/GPO partnership is committed to presenting accurate and reliable Police Officers each day protect and preserve life and property where they work and live. Another enforcement action relied extensively on information from an industry group, the USTelecom's Industry Traceback Group (Traceback Group). Ultimately, changes must come at the federal level, said Ellen Weintraub, a Democrat who chairs the Federal Election Commission. We anticipate that this portal will be particularly useful to private entities experiencing large scale robocall incidents and voice service providers that have network analytic information. 7. Former callers at both TPFE and Politicause said they were given scripts and FAQs that required them to mention that the groups were political action committees but were told by managers to glide past the disclosures about who was calling and how the money would be used. In addition, public entities often contact Enforcement Bureau staff directly about robocalling and spoofing matters. A spokesperson for the Republican Attorneys General Association did not address questions about the robocall but sought to distance the organization from the event. 16. Baker said he founded Salt Lake City fundraising firm American Public Resource because he hoped to support worthy goals like helping veterans.The firm was paid nearly $3 million from 2017 through mid-2019 for its work raising money for PACS that spent anywhere from 0% to 7% on their promoted causes. P, sec. In this document, we have created a new online portal located on the Commission website where private entities, including small businesses, may submit information about robocall or spoofing violations. At TPFE, callers said they told potential donors all proceeds went to defraying the cost of the appeal [for funds] and to accomplish the mission, said former employee Jake Adair, 28. Just enough to get them to stop asking, he added. Search the Legal Library instead. 154(i), 154(j), and 227, and section 10(a) of the Pallone-Thune Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence Act, Public Law 116-105, 133 Stat. Despite currently transitioning into my role as the newly elected chairman of RLDF, it is unacceptable that I was neither consulted about nor informed of those decisions. documents in the last year, 822 Appendix A, Demonstrators attempt to breach the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. We agree with Twilio that private entities and consumers should be directed to a centralized reporting mechanism, but we also find that the new portal should be distinct from the existing informal consumer complaint process. announcing that compliance date and revising this paragraph accordingly. Many companies that donated to the Republican Attorneys General Association also gave to the Democratic Party equivalent. Black's Law Dictionary defines entity as [a]n organization (such as a business or a governmental unit) that has a legal identity apart from its members or owners. Second, we find that, as a policy matter, we should exclude individuals from the definition of private entity as the term is used in section 10(a) of the TRACED Act. 727-335-7484 - Committee For Police Officer's Defense 727-335-7484 Complaint Level Low Medium High 1 User Complaints Caller Name Committee For Police Officer's Defense 1 Caller Type Scammer/Fraudster 1 File a Complaint Owner Info for 727-335-7484 User Complaints for (727) 335-7484 Caller name: Committee for Police Officer's Defense Thus, we have minimized the impact on small businesses. The "Committee for Police Officer's Defense" (CPOD) was configured in order to complete an intrinsic goal. NPRM The groups share funding, staff and office space in Washington, D.C. Zeitlin told Reuters he was not the target of the grand jury investigation. Add 64.1606 to subpart P to read as follows: (a) Any private entity may submit to the Enforcement Bureau information related to a call or text message that the private entity has reason to believe included misleading or inaccurate caller identification information in violation of 64.1604(a) or 47 U.S.C. For example, in two enforcement actions, a medical paging company was a key source; it informed the Bureau that the paging company's phone lines were being bombarded by spoofed robocalls. Relevant incidents might include a corporation or association experiencing a deluge of robocalls overwhelming their internal phone network or a voice service provider that found evidence of illegal robocalls traversing its network. Mission | Committee for Police Officers Defense These can be useful We amend our rules to establish a streamlined process for private entities to submit information about violations of Sections 227(b) and 227(e) of the Act to the Commission. . The workers said Politicause managers eventually reined in that practice, requiring them to instead say that at least 10% went to the cause. Legitimate charities can be checked on websites such as www.guidestar.org. Ask if the donation is tax-deductible. Pitches at Politicause and TPFE were adapted to avoid allegations of fraud, former callers said, noting that the conversations were occasionally monitored by company compliance officers. that, pursuant to 1.4(b)(1) and 1.427(a) of the Commission's rules, 47 CFR 1.4(b)(1), 1.427(a), this Report and Order and the amendments to parts 0 and 64 of the Commission's rules, as set forth in As required by the Regulatory Flexibility Act of 1980, as amended (RFA), the Commission has prepared a Final Regulatory Flexibility Analysis (FRFA) relating to this Report and Order. 8. 6. 4. The committees treasurer, attorney Chris Marston, told Reuters the purpose of the PAC was to raise money in support of candidates who would help police and firefighters., Im sure the [call] scripts didnt misrepresent anything, Marston said. The Federal Trade Commission, which is responsible for policing telemarketing, generally has no jurisdiction over political fundraising, said Lois Greisman, an associate director in charge of the agencys marketing practices division. The current informal consumer complaint process is a vital tool for the Commission. 10. The stance of the protestors was not consistent with Attorney General Carrs position on election fraud. We agree with commenters that including individuals within the definition of private entity would undermine the intent of the statute to streamline information collection about robocalls and spoofed calls, and would create confusion for consumers about whether to use the existing informal complaint process or the new portal, or both. If the potential donors suspected they had given to the group before, the callers were instructed to say: I have no way of knowing because we feel that donations are given from the heart, not the hand, so we keep all donation records confidential, according to the FAQ. Second, we find that establishing a stand-alone process designed specifically to handle concerns from private entities ( that the Commission's Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau, Reference Information Center, Final Regulatory Flexibility Analysis. A spokesperson for Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr, the chairman of the Republican Attorneys General Association, said he had no knowledge or involvement in this decision., Attorney General Carr has been working diligently to determine how this situation occurred and ensure that it does not happen again, said spokesperson Katie Byrd. We agree with comments expressing the importance of vetting submitted information and protecting confidentiality. Caller type: Scammer/Fraudster. For the reasons discussed in the preamble, the Federal Communications Commission proposes to amend 47 CFR parts 0 and 64 as follows: 1. That goal is to help police officers fight against the continuing "War on Cops" by taking a varied political stance against politicians, activist judges, prosecutors, district attorneys and a host of others who try to bring police officers down by any means. People with Disabilities. But proving it can be a challenge, she said when, for example, conversations arent recorded and callers stray beyond the boundaries of scripts that toe the line. The fundraisers later went to work for PACs under the names Politicause and Pledge Assistance, both registered in Wyoming, which requires little disclosure from corporations. An arm of the Republican Attorneys General Association, a national group representing the top law enforcement officers in their states, sent out robocalls encouraging people to march to the U.S. Capitol the day before the building was stormed by a pro-Trump mob. ) on December 8, 2020, proposing to establish a streamlined process for private entities to submit information about robocall violations to the Commission. Interviews and records indicate managers at both firms once worked at a Zeitlin company called Courtesy Call. that the Commission on NARA's archives.gov. Download the NBC News app for breaking news and politics, The Republican Attorneys General Association and Rule of Law Defense Fund had no involvement in the planning, sponsoring, or the organization of Wednesdays event, the spokesperson said. Its a sink or swim environment. Learn more about your rights as a consumer and how to spot and avoid scams. shall be effective BBB Advises Potential Donors to be Cautious If Solicited by the Contact Information P.O. Donation | Committee for Police Officers Defense Jessica Blanchard, 23, who worked at Politicause in 2018, said many callers either were addicts from halfway houses or jail inmates on work release. better and aid in comparing the online edition to the print edition. Document Drafting Handbook At Politicause, for instance, some said they initially were told to say donations would be used to help buy new police and fire equipment. Use of the portal is completely voluntary and we impose no new requirements on small businesses. The purpose of the portal is to provide private entities a streamlined method to submit information to the Bureau about suspected robocall or spoofing violations. And, as he has been saying since moments after seeing news break, the violence and destruction we saw at the U.S. Capitol is unacceptable and un-American.. We were good at slick-talking these people, one former caller, a felon, said of unwitting donors. If PACs spend nearly all of their money on fundraising and salaries, fundraisers can say they their motives were sincere and it costs money to raise money, he said. We also have a process for obtaining information from certain public entities: Federal and state law enforcement agencies routinely coordinate with the Enforcement Bureau about robocall and caller ID spoofing enforcement and mitigation efforts. The PACs examined for this article typically handed over less than 10% of their take sometimes less than 1% to candidates or causes, Reuters found. documents in the last year, 1411 Victor J. The portal is available for use by private entities that wish to submit information about suspected robocall or spoofing violations. 503, 132 Stat 348, 1091. That goal is to help police officers fight against the continuing "War on Cops" by taking a varied political stance against politicians, activist judges, prosecutors, district attorneys and a host of others who try to bring . documents in the last year, by the Coast Guard website. Stop robocalls with Nomorobo Document page views are updated periodically throughout the day and are cumulative counts for this document. Private entity submissions of robocall violations. The Public Inspection page documents in the last year, 467 727-351-8757 - Committee For Police Officer's Defense - CallerCenter Counts are subject to sampling, reprocessing and revision (up or down) throughout the day. should verify the contents of the documents against a final, official 2. The Bureau will review information submitted through the portal to assess violations of the rules in the same manner that it reviews information submitted to the Commission through other means. The calls, which did not advocate violence or suggest the building should be breached, was sent out by the Rule of Law Defense Fund, a fundraising arm of the Republican Attorneys General Association. I dont think you understand how hard it is to fundraise, said Forrest Sandusky Baker IV, a telemarketing professional. 30 days after publication in the 05/04/2018 05:04 AM EDT. The site has since been taken down. Richard Zeitlin, the biggest fundraiser in the loose network identified by Reuters, told a reporter in a brief interview that he had closed down all of his call centers, saying I wanted a change in direction. Asked about ex-employees claims of deception in his companies PAC fundraising practices, he declined to discuss specifics. Some telemarketers who claim to be raising money for causes like homeless veterans and cancer victims work for political action committees (PACs), not charities, and keep much of the money they raise. Two of the fundraising companies identified by Reuters employed jail inmates and ex-cons as telemarketers, according to interviews in Alabama with several former employees, as well as court records. And the groups they were raising money for werent charities at all, but political action committees, which normally are set up to gather funds for candidates or political causes. Organizationally and individually, we strongly condemn and disavow the events which occurred., One of its members, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, attended the rally and spoke to the crowd, saying, We will not quit fighting., Following the Capitol invasion, he tweeted, I am sorely disappointed today in the certification of the election, but I dont believe violence is the answer.. A Rule by the Federal Communications Commission on 09/23/2021. Demonstrators attempt to enter the U.S. Capitol during a protest on Jan. 6, 2021. the official SGML-based PDF version on govinfo.gov, those relying on it for POLICE OFFICERS DEFENSE ALLIANCE PAC - committee overview | FEC - FEC.gov It is a way for them to get around the charity laws thats exactly what theyre doing, said Stuart Discount, chief executive of the Professional Association for Customer Engagement, a trade association for direct marketers. 11. and services, go to Paxtons office did not respond to a request for comment. 19. Committee type: Super PAC (Independent Expenditure-Only) Committee designation: Unauthorized. Better Business Bureau (BBB) advises area residents to be cautious of phone calls or mailers soliciting donations to the National Police Support Fund, an organization that describes itself as a. Our PAC contributions to both the Republican and Democratic Attorneys General associations were used strictly for attorneys generals campaign purposes, the spokesperson said in a statement. documents in the last year, 853 The fundraiser paid $11.6 million by PACs, including Bass operations, since 2017 listed an address in FEC documents that was a mail drop business in Washington D.C.Contract information subpoenaed by investigators and seen by Reuters ties Market Process Group to firms controlled by Mark Gelvan, a New Jersey-based fundraiser.Included were a phone number used by another Gelvan firm, Outreach Calling, an address used by his operation in Montville, New Jersey, and an email linked to another Gelvan company. regulatory information on FederalRegister.gov with the objective of Looking for legal documents or records? 03/03/2023, 266 On September 1, 2009, new FTC rules went into effect prohibiting most prerecorded telemarketing calls, commonly known as robocalls . documents in the last year, 940 The Public Inspection page may also 20-374, FCC-21-75, adopted and released on June 17, 2021. We have been assured by RAGA that none of our contributions to RAGA were given to the Rule of Law Defense Fund., In a statement, Comcast said: "We have long supported Democratic and Republican associations of attorneys general. Last summer, after coming under fire from state and government regulators for alleged deception in fundraising for charities, he defended his reputation on a website called richardzeitlintruth.com. documents in the last year. The Commission directs the Enforcement Bureau to announce the effective date for those information collections in a document published in the All persons are required to submit truthful and accurate statements to the Commission. Cherokee Nation Businesses does not condone these actions and strongly condemns the insurrectionists and all those who instigated the disruption of the federal government through their words and actions.. documents in the last year, 981 We find that adopting a distinct intake process for private entities best satisfies the statutory language, while integrating it with the existing process managed by the Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau will reduce administrative costs and consumer confusion. The fundraising operation used corporate names including Charity Promotions, from 2013 to 2016, and Charity Appeal, from 2016 to 2018, according to several ex-employee interviews and state filings. They said to pitch it like it was a charity but as quietly and quickly as you can, slip in that it was a PAC, said Lefler, who worked at TPFE until March. Each document posted on the site includes a link to the We recognize that consumers might mistakenly file complaints through the new streamlined process rather than the existing consumer complaint process. for better understanding how a document is structured but Section 227(e) prohibits unlawful spoofingthe transmission of misleading or inaccurate caller ID information with the intent to defraud, cause harm, or wrongfully obtain anything of value. Bass, who set up several other super PACs, declined to comment. These workers were a convenient labor pool and skilled at getting people to open their wallets, former callers said. A Pro-Trump scam PAC returns with a vengeance - POLITICO We are appalled at the events that culminated in the storming of the U.S. Capitol, the company said in a statement. Back in 2019, a CNN investigation traced a series of mysterious robocalls claiming to raise money for Trump's wall back to Support American Leaders PAC. Find the resources you need to understand how consumer protection law impacts your business. As his office pursued the money trail in the Bass investigation, for instance, Friedman said it came across an organization called Market Process Group, one of the eight fundraisers examined by Reuters. Police charity caution: How to know if it's a scam - WCPO Caller name: Committee for Police Officer's Defense. The rules we adopt today create a streamlined process by which a private entity may submit information about suspected robocall and spoofing violations directly to the Bureau via an online portal located on the FCC website. Braille, large print, electronic files, audio format, etc.) Committee for Police Officers' Defense (@CPOD_4_Police) / Twitter Federal Do Not Call rules do not apply to political or nonprofit fundraising. The Committee for Police Officers' Defense (CPOD) The "Committee for Police Officer's Defense" (CPOD) was configured in order to complete an intrinsic goal. No Impact on Informal Consumer Complaint Process. First, we find that interpreting the term to exclude individual consumers from the definition of private entity is consistent with Congress's other uses of that term and similar terms. include documents scheduled for later issues, at the request It is further ordered JoAnn Coleman, 63, a construction engineer from Gaithersburg, Maryland, said she was particularly vulnerable to a pitch for the breast cancer PAC. POLICE OFFICERS DEFENSE ALLIANCE PAC. The Commission has determined, and the Administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget, concurs that this rule is non-major under the Congressional Review Act, 5 U.S.C. Fundraisers are seeing this is just another easy way to make a buck.. House, Senate announce agreement on anti-robocall bill To request material in accessible formats for people with disabilities (braille, large print, electronic files, audio format), send an email to If youre a PAC, and youre raising money for one purpose and doing something else, thats fraud, said Elizabeth Grant, who oversees the Oregon Department of Justice Charities unit. Private entities and consumers who wish to submit information or complaints about robocalls will be directed on the FCC website to the appropriate intake process for their situationthe new portal for private entities or the existing informal consumer complaint process for consumers. This definition is consistent with common usage. Police Officer Defense Alliance - Better Business Bureau They often are set up as super PACs, groups which in recent years have been empowered by the courts to raise and spend money in unlimited amounts, with little regulation. Senate Aging Committee Tackles Robocall Scams - MeriTalk Police officer's scam robocall warning goes viral The "GMA" team of insiders analyzes some of the biggest stories trending this morning. In fact, scam PAC operators and fundraisers are often old hands of the charity world, with a history of run-ins with regulators, state and federal records show. 801(a)(1)(A). Robocallers using former councilman's name to collect for fake charity 15. Lastly, we delegate authority to the Bureau to make further decisions about administration of the portal. Beware: That Call for Police Donations May Be from a Political Action Blue / Bloomberg via Getty Images. e.g., documents in the last year, 86 Zeitlin, whose operations also have been examinedby the Center for Public Integrity and other media outlets, said on his website that hes never been accused, indicted, tried or convicted of anything.. We kind of all understood what we were doing was wrong, but I needed a place to live.. During today's hearing, the Committee heard from local law enforcement, the U.S. a phone number), the caller ID information displayed, the phone number(s) called, the date(s) and time(s) of the relevant calls or texts, the name of the reporting private entity's service provider, and a description of the problematic calls or texts. Third, consumers will not be adversely affected by our decision to exclude them from the definition of private entity. Laura Strickler is a senior investigative producer and reporter for NBC News. Recording / robocall Comments . NPRM As a fundraiser for charities, Zeitlin ran into trouble with regulators. We had no knowledge of RAGAs association with the Rule of Law fund or any connection in the January 6 insurrectionists storm on the U.S. Capitol, spokesperson Brandon Scott said in a statement. The Cherokee Nation Businesses LLC, which donated $150,000 in 2020, said it has requested an immediate refund of its sponsorship to the Republican Attorneys General Association, and the organization obliged. We could no longer say, We are helping police officers get body armor, but we could say, We are supporting efforts to get them body armor, said Jackie Armstrong, 32, a former Politicause employee. Pepsi and the NRA did not respond to requests for comment. legal research should verify their results against an official edition of It is further ordered Reuters interviewed a dozen donors to PACs. Heroes United, accused of using deceptive tactics to get the firefighter donations, agreed to stop telemarketing in the county and to refund any donations.

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