Non-Profit Hospitals Made Huge Profits During Pandemic While Receiving $23 Billion In Federal COVID-19 Aid

Federal officials gave more than $23 billion COVID-19 aid to the nation’s top 20 ‘nonprofit’ hospitals while at the same time the hospitals had a 62% increase in their net assets, total profits and revenues during the 2018-2021 time period. According to a new report, “The 20 largest nonprofit hospitals in the country continued making massive profits while their cumulative net assets soared to $324.3 billion in 2021, up from $200.6 billion in 2018.” The year 2021 is the latest year available for cross-comparison purposes. The top recipients of most COVID-19 aid were San Francisco-based CommonSpirit Health with $3.6 billion, followed by Providence St. Joseph Center with $3 billion, Ascension Healthcare with $2.7 billion, Michigan-based Livonia Health with $2.3 billion, and Sutter Health, based in Sacramento, California, with $1.7 billion.

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Federal officials gave more than $23 billion COVID-19 aid to the nation’s top 20 nonprofit hospitals even as a 62 percent increase in their collective net assets led parallel surges in the institutions’ total profits and revenues during the 2018-2021 time period spanning the Coronavirus pandemic, according to a new report.

Only two of the 20 institutions have repaid the government for the COVID-19 aid they received.

The 20 largest nonprofit hospitals in the country continued making massive profits while their cumulative net assets soared to $324.3 billion in 2021, up from $200.6 billion in 2018. The year 2021 is the latest year available for cross-comparison purposes.

“Those hospital systems received congressional COVID bailouts of $23 billion and only two providers partially paid their COVID bailout back,” said the report compiled by Open The Books, an Illinois-based research nonprofit that compiles and posts spending by all levels of government in America. The two institutions that have partially repaid the government were not identified.

The biggest jump among the top 20 was 92 percent by the Mayo Clinic, based in Rochester, Minnesota, whose assets went from $9.2 billion in 2018 to $17.7 billion in 2021. The Mayo Clinic received $350,000 in federal COVID-19 aid, the lowest amount received among the top 20 institutions.

The Cleveland Clinic Health System, based in Independence, Ohio, saw its assets go up 60 percent, from $9.8 billion to $15.7 billion, while receiving $118 million in federal COVID-19 aid. Intermountain Healthcare, based in Salt Lake City,  Utah, the 12th largest of the top 20, enjoyed a 63 percent growth in net assets from $7.1 billion to $11.6 billion. Intermountain received $518 million in aid.

Seeing a 43 percent jump in net assets between 2018 and 2021 was the Northwestern Medicine system, moving from $8.3 billion to $11.9 billion, and receiving $419 million in COVID-19 aid from federal officials. The Indiana University Health System went from $7 billion in 2018 to $10.3 billion in 2021, a 47 percent increase. The Indiana facility received $726 million in COVID-19 assistance from the government.

And as the revenues poured in for the 20 hospitals, compensation for their top executives soared, often beyond $10 million annually, according to the report.

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Steve Bannon and Brian Kolfage of the ‘We Build the Wall’ Campaign Arrested for Money Laundering

President Trump’s former chief strategist, Steve Bannon, and Brian Kolfage, founder of the ‘We Build the Wall’ project that gained over $25-million in donations to build the border wall are facing federal charges for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering, and face up to 20-years in prison for each charge. Two other defendants, Andrew Badolato and Timothy Shea, also were accused with the same charges. The men allegedly used more than $- million from We Build the Wall to secretly pay Kolfage and to cover hundreds of thousands of dollars in Bannon’s personal expenses. The indictment says that Kolfage received $350,000 and spent most of it on luxury items, even though he promised donors he would never take a penny.

According to the indictment, GoFundMe had “concerns” about Kolfage’s plan to give $20-million directly to the US government instead of going through a non-profit organization, which would be required to make the donations tax deductible. Ultimately, with Bannon’s help, the money was reallocated to a series of non-profits and shell companies. Just days ago, Kolfage tweeted, “We are are funding the class-action lawsuit against Black Lives Matter, the NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL for all victims of their racist attacks.” His GoFundMe for that project was called called BLMHate. It was soon deleted by the fundraising platform. -GEG

President Trump’s former chief strategist, Steve Bannon, and University of Arizona graduate and We Build The Wall founder, Brian Kolfage are facing federal charges.

The men, along with two other defendants, Andrew Badolato and Timothy Shea, are accused of defrauding donors out of hundreds of thousands of dollars as part of a fundraising campaign aimed at supporting President Trump’s border wall.

Federal officials arrested the men today who allegedly used more than $1 million from We Build the Wall to secretly pay Kolfage and cover hundreds of thousands of dollars in Bannon’s personal expenses.

Kolfage was injured in his second deployment in Iraq in 2014 when an insurgent attack cost him his legs and most of his right arm.

He was awarded a Purple Heart and assigned to Davis Monthan Air Force Base as a security manager.

He joined Gabby Gifford’s Veterans Advisory Committee and graduated from the University of Arizona in 2014.

In 2018, Kolfage founded We Build the Wall, a nonprofit dedicated to building private sections of the border wall along the US-Mexico border.

According to the indictment, he continuously promised to donors he would never take a penny, but secretly reached an agreement with the defendants to be covertly paid $100,000 upfront and then $20,000 a month.

The indictment said in total, Kolfage received $350,000 in donor funds that he used to pay for cosmetic surgery, home renovations, payments toward a boat, a luxury SUV, a golf cart, jewelry and more.

Bannon, who according to the indictment, publicly said, “We are a volunteer organization,” also took hundreds of thousands of dollars from the nonprofit for personal expenses.

“I feel very badly. I haven’t been dealing with him for a very long period of time. I don’t know anything about the project at all,” said President Trump when asked about the arrests today.

“It was showboating and maybe looking for funds, but you’ll have to see what happens. I think it’s a very sad thing for Mr. Bannon,” President Trump said.

The inspector-in-charge Philip R. Bartlett said in part, “This case should serve as a warning to other fraudsters that no one is above the law, not even a disabled war veteran or a millionaire political strategist.”

Just days ago, Kolfage tweeted, “We are funding the class action lawsuit against Black Lives Matter, the NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL for all victims of their racist attacks.”

He sent his followers to a GoFundMe called BLMHate.

GoFundMe deleted that account, so on Wednesday, August 19, Kolfage responded in a tweet saying, “We Build the Wall has officially deleted the largest GoFundMe campaign ever from the GFM platform. We will not give them another penny after raising $27 million. We are taking our business to RundRazr where censorship doesn’t happen.”

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Additional source:

https://fortune.com/2020/08/20/steve-bannon-arrested-indictment-fraud-details-charges-us-postal-inspection-service-usps-we-build-the-wall/




IRS Gives Satanic Temple Tax-Exempt Status, But Blocked Conservative and Pro-America Groups for Years




For years the IRS blocked tax-exempt status for conservative groups.
This directly impacted the 2012 presidential election.

The IRS Conservative Targeting Scandal involved:

Now this…
The IRS gave the Satanic Temple tax-exempt status.
Via Chicks on the Right:

Well guys, the Satanic Temple is “pleased” to announce that the IRS
has given it tax-exempt status. Yeah– it’s been identified as a
“church.” (It’s just as much of a “church” as the Church of Scientology
IMHO.)

Read full article here…




New York Legislators’ Charity for Minority Students Spends Funds on Lavish Parties Instead of Scholarships


The New York State Association of Black and Puerto Rican Legislators, managed by state lawmakers, charges up to $50,000 to party with them at events that have ­included high-profile speakers such as Hillary Clinton and Jesse Jackson. The group has made zero contributions for scholarships over the past two years despite receiving more than $500,000. The group refuses to disclose its 2017 tax filing despite federal laws requiring that it be published. -GEG

A nonprofit run by state lawmakers to raise scholarship money for needy minority students spends most of the cash on its lavish annual soiree — including $6,000 on limos — and gave out no grants the last two years, The Post has learned.

The New York State Association of Black and Puerto Rican Legislators organizes a “Caucus Weekend” — a series of workshops, concerts and parties — in Albany every February for minority members of the Assembly and the Senate.

The group charges sponsors up to $50,000 for a chance to party with lawmakers at events that have ­included Grammy Award-winning rappers and high-profile speakers such as Hillary Clinton and Jesse Jackson.

The Presidents Day weekend bash is capped off with a swanky black-tie Scholarship Gala where participants are reminded that they are “changing lives, one scholarship at a time,” according to the group’s Web site and literature.

The Presidents Day weekend bash is capped off with a swanky black-tie Scholarship Gala where participants are reminded that they are “changing lives, one scholarship at a time,” according to the group’s Web site and literature.

But in the last two years there has been no cash for scholarships, according to two sources — a former lawmaker, and a community organizer who has relied on the money for needy students since just after the group was founded in 1985.

Federal tax filings confirm that in the 2015-16 fiscal year, which ended Sept. 30, 2016, the group gave out no educational grants — despite raking in contributions totaling more than $500,000.

“I don’t know what happened,” said Assemblyman Gary Pretlow, a Westchester Democrat and the longtime treasurer for the group. “I just sign the checks they give me to sign.”

While students went without scholarships, the lawmakers at Caucus Weekend 2016 spent $128,000 on “food service,” $36,500 on music and $56,494 on “equipment rental.”

The group failed to furnish The Post with the subsequent year’s tax filings — October 2016 to September 2017 — despite a federal law requiring it to do so.

The group had its charitable status temporarily revoked in 2011 by the IRS after it failed to file tax returns for three consecutive years, according to federal tax documents.

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Anti-Poverty, Non-Profit Groups Receive Huge Government Subsidies, Pay Obscene CEO Salaries


The Daily Caller investigated 14 anti-poverty, non-profit groups that received $900 million in taxpayer funds from federal, state and local government from 2013 through 2015. They paid annual salaries as high as $900,000, and spent millions on lobbying.  These groups include the National Urban League, La Raza, Operation HOPE , NeighborWorks, the National Council On Aging, Unidos, Rural Community Assistance Corporation, and the Housing Partnership Network. –GEG

Top officials with 14 anti-poverty nonprofits were paid as much as $869,900 as their organizations were enriched with $900 million of taxpayer money, The Daily Caller News Foundation’s (TheDCNF) Investigative Group has found.

The activist groups received as much as 85 percent of their revenue from federal, state and local governments and collectively spent millions on lobbying, TheDCNF’s analysis found. Also, half of the charities’ CEOs made political contributions – nearly all of which was to Democratic candidates.

The groups pursue various activist causes, but each participates in the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Approved Counseling Agencies program, which pays nonprofits across the country to help people “find housing, make more informed housing choices, or keep their current homes,” according to HUD.

HUD awarded at least $42 million to 204 such groups in 2016, which was predicted to assist more than 1.4 million households, agency data shows.

The department even has a step-by-step guide that shows organizations how to become a nonprofit and ultimately a counseling agency. HUD considers the charities’ prior performance when vetting their applications for the grants, which includes the number of impacted clients, past budgets and how grant money was spent previously.

At least 14 recipients appear to be national-level activist groups and have raked in $916 million across government from 2013 through 2015, TheDCNF’s analysis found.

Those organizations paid their top leaders more than $341,00 on average in 2015, according to their IRS Form 990 tax forms, which is nearly 14 times the annual income for a four-person family at the federal government’s official poverty line. Meanwhile, almost half of the revenue the groups received came from the government on average between 2013 and 2015.

Six of the nonprofits spent a total of nearly $3.2 million on lobbying during those three years. Additionally, seven of the charities’ CEOs contributed nearly $44,000 to Democrats since 2008 and only contributed to one Republican candidate during the same time.

National Urban League President and CEO Marc Morial , a former New Orleans mayor, received a higher salary than any other official in the nonprofits, taking home nearly $870,000 – more than 35 times the poverty line for a four-person family – in 2015.

Morial’s “energetic and skilled leadership has expanded the league’s work around an empowerment agenda … with a renewed emphasis on closing the economic gaps between whites and blacks, as well as rich and poor Americans,” according to the Urban League’s website.

He also contributed the second most to political candidates – $10,400, all to Democrats since 2008, according to OpenSecrets.org.

The nonprofit’s information page adds: “The mission of the Urban League movement is to enable African-Americans to secure economic self-reliance, parity, power and civil rights.”

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