Judge Tells Charity to Drop Claim About Funds
A Superior Court judge Thursday ordered the Children’s Wish Fund of Carson, facing fraud and false advertising charges, to temporarily stop telling potential donors that its funds go mainly to grant last wishes of dying children.
The order by Solano County Superior Court Judge Dwight Ely represented a victory for state prosecutors who are seeking to shut down the nonprofit charity through a civil suit charging the fund with fraud and false advertising. The suit contends that the group has spent only 1% of the $3.1 million it collected from 1986-90 to grant the wishes of dying children.
The Children’s Wish Fund executive director, Maurice Benkoil, has contended that the figures do not reflect the organization’s activities. He said that the fund was destitute when he took the reins last year and that he has been struggling to turn around the charity’s finances.
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