Another AIDS Charity Up To No Good

Last August, AI outlined a number of cases involving Indiana charities where government investigators had uncovered waste, fraud and abuse by nonprofit, AIDS grant agencies. That story prompted a series of comments from a Fort Wayne-area activist, Ron Muckway, who detailed allegations of wrongdoing against the Rev. Donald Archey and his Fort Wayne-based Archey AIDS Foundation. Muckway's allegations caught the attention of the Fort Wayne Journal-Gazette's Dan Stockman, who has an eye-opening investigative story in today's paper on Archey and his AIDS foundation. Stockman's opening paragraphs say it all:

In July 2002, the Rev. Donald Archey began holding fundraisers for his Archey AIDS Foundation to build two group homes for people who are HIV-positive and have substance abuse problems.

Two years later, he said the House of Hope for men and the House of Love for women could open within a year.

At the end of September 2006 – when it told the Internal Revenue Service it had raised $43,500 since being formed – the Fort Wayne foundation had less than $2,000 in its bank account, and Archey said all of that would go toward running the foundation’s Let’s Talk program for area children.

Where did the money go? Those involved with the organization say some of it has gone to pay Archey’s personal expenses.

Despite a laundry list of troubling facts uncovered by Stockman, Archey tells Stockman donors should not be worried about the questions being raised about the nonprofits finances. "Yes, some i’s weren’t dotted, some t’s weren’t crossed,” Archey said. “But all money has been accounted for. … There’s been nothing misappropriated.” But the nonprofit's secretary says Archey kept the organization's finances secret from her and forged her signature on bank documents. “It’s just been him that’s getting the money and disbursing the money the way he wants to do it,” Cathy Wilson said. “I’m supposed to be the treasurer, but I’ve never had any dealings with that part at all. I’ve never written a check; I don’t know about the grants.”

So where has the $43,500 the charity has raised been spent, if not to fund two group homes for people living with HIV-AIDS as was promised? Here's at look at where Stockman learned the money was being spent :

• Archey's Capital One credit card
• Archey's Comcast bill for telephone, cable TV and Internet service for his home
• Monthly payments for GEICO car insurance payments for Archey's automobile
• The cost of publishing a book Archey is writing entitled "Pastor, how did you get AIDS", which is about his own life, and the success of which he says is essential to raising the funds necessary to build the two group homes
• $2,000 to Fort Wayne Newspapers for advertising
• $2,650 to A&B Sound

Stockman also uncovered evidence Archey personally owes as much money in back taxes to the government as the nonprofit has collected over the last four years. Stockman also reports that Indiana Attorney General Steve Carter's office is reviewing material related to the Archey AIDS Foundation.

A big hat tip to Ron Muckway for staying on top of this story and making sure Archey's misuse of the AIDS charity were brought to life. His persistence on this issue is paying off.