Helping a hero loses court battle to hide records
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State District Judge Michael Landrum has rejected attempts by the controversial Houston Veteran’s Charity Helping a Hero to conceal 2014 financial records.
Helping a Hero wanted to keep the financial records secret from Dolcefino Consulting, an investigative communications firm in Houston run by long time television investigative reporter Wayne Dolcefino.
Dolcefino Consulting has been probing the financial practices of Helping a Hero since 2013 at the request of several disabled veterans who think the charity cheated them.
“This charity gets millions of dollars in donations and then spends money trying to fight the public’s right to see how they spend the money”, says Wayne Dolcefino. “In my view that forfeits their right solicit donations.”
Helping a Hero has been the target of complaints from veterans across the country.
In April 2014 Harris County District Attorney Devon Anderson told the charity to comply with Texas non-profit laws and the charity did release some financial records.
Since December, Dolcefino Consulting has been fighting to see the way donations were spent in 2014, and has now filed a criminal complaint against the charity with the Harris County District Attorney.
“These laws are useless if Ms. Anderson doesn’t vigorously enforce the right of all Harris County taxpayers to see how their money is spent,” says Dolcefino. “These charities are tax exempt as part of a contract with the people of Texas.”
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