· Eight Members of Congress have requested the Inspector General of the Department of the Treasury to investigate "HSUS's apparent improper activities and its tax exempt status." By letter dated April 18, 2011, six of these eight Members of Congress also asked the Treasury's Inspector General to "investigate IRS's potential failure to conduct a proper investigation pursuant to Congressman Leutkemeyer's March 23, 2010 letter." The eight Members of Congress include Senator Lugar and Representative Visclosky from Indiana, Representative Young from Alaska, and Representatives Emerson, Hartzler, Long, Leutkemeyer and Graves from Missouri.
· The Treasury's Inspector General for Tax Administration, by letter dated August 24, 2011, informed Senator Lugar from Indiana that his Office "recently initiated an audit to determine whether the IRS's Exempt Organizations function is accurately accounting for referrals of alleged violations of Federal tax law, acknowledging receipt to submitters, and tracking and monitoring the time frames for working referrals."
· During 2010 more than 6,000 concerned, tax-paying citizens from all 50 States wrote to the IRS and requested the IRS to investigate the excessive, prohibited, non-reported and under-reported lobbying activities of the U.S., which are the subject of 17 Formal Submissions to the IRS that are substantiated by 1,628 pages of incriminating and self incriminating documents. These documents include:
1. Extracts from HSUS Tax Returns that literally "brag" about all of its lobbying activities while claiming on other sections of its Tax Returns that none of its paid staff or volunteers lobby;
2. Claims by the President and CEO of the HSUS that he and the HSUS are responsible for the passage of 1,000 laws - - some of the claims are recorded on CDs furnished to the IRS;
3. Federal Election Commission Documents that reference nearly 3,000 pages of lobbying related documents that were generated by three subsidiary organizations and PACs of the HSUS which confirm that Millions of Dollars have been contributed to Hundreds of Federal Election Campaigns, and these expenditures do not include the Millions of Dollars expended by the HSUS at the State Level where it claims to be responsible for the passage of more than 525 State Statutes and Ballot Initiatives; and
4. The failure to report any receipt of Membership Dues for the last five years, which could amount to more than $500 Million.
· The Treasury's Inspector General has received a Documented Complaint that one or more IRS Employees has been improperly "leaking" portions of the above referenced 17 Submissions to the IRS to the HSUS.
· The Office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia has received a Documented Complaint that the HSUS and Members of its Senior Leadership are in violation of the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 because they have never registered as a Lobbying Organization or as Lobbyists with the two Houses of Congress, notwithstanding 1,000s of direct "lobbying contacts" for the purpose of influencing legislation. In contrast, the President and CEO of the HSUS is a Registered Lobbyist in MO.
NOTE: If the HSUS and its Senior Leadership had registered with both Houses of Congress, the HSUS would be admitting that it has done excessive lobbying, which in turn, could result in the IRS rescinding its tax-exempt, public charity status, and the HSUS could become subject to the IRS assessing Tens of Millions of Dollars in back taxes, penalties and interest.
· The Parent Company of the Ringling Brothers Circus has filed a Lawsuit against the HSUS, and alleged the following violations: Racketeer Influenced Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act; Money Laundering; Bribery; Obstruction of Justice; Mail Fraud; Wire Fraud; Illegal Witness Payments; Virginia Conspiracy Act; Conspiracy to Harm a Business; Abuse of Process; Malicious Prosecution; and a Fundraiser Held in Furtherance of the Schemes.
