Bev Harris / BBV.org "990 filing"??????

This is a follow-up to this earlier thread: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=203&topic_id=433908

I received an envelope in the mail, 'Certified Mail- Return Receipt Requested', with $4.88 postage on it. An ordinary first-class stamp would have sufficed, but, hey, it's only donors' money.

What was contained therein, I almost hesitate to talk about, because it is incomplete, and what is there is useless.

The IRS 990 form is unsigned and undated by any officer of the organization. It is not signed or dated by any paid preparer or accounting firm. The form is not complete if unsigned... no signature to attest to truth, correctness or completeness of the form's contents. It was not even accompanied by a cover letter stating that it is a copy of BBV.org's filing to the IRS.

There are errors and anomalies entered, which certainly begs the question whether an accounting firm was involved in the preparation.

Though 'Bailey77' (fondly known on DU as Bev's sock puppet) posted in March 2005 that an accounting firm "specializing in non-profits" had been brought on board (and was preparing a 2004 year-end financial statement to be posted shortly, which never happened), and Bev posted on her own site in April 2006 that she was "surprised" to learn that the accounting firm had filed extensions. On wouldn't think that a CPA firm prepared this "filing" with such errors. And, of course, it is not signed by any such firm or person.

There are some entries that I find quite 'unusual' and/or 'surprising', but thus far nothing indicates that this is the genuine filing.

The response to Request for Form 990 Copy is incomplete. Only a partial response was sent. The REQUIRED Schedule A was not provided.









What was provided does not fulfill IRS requirements for responding to 990 requests from the public. The following is from Alliance for Justice:




I am unwilling to say anything about any specific entries on this bit of paper, because I have zero to indicate that it even purports to be a true filing. I wouldn't want to be the one to state something and have it be denied as 'misinformation' or some such.

I had hoped that the results of my request might put at least some of the financial questions related to Bev's BBV.org to rest. But as much as Bev touts transparency, stating on her own site 4/14/06 regarding 990 forms: "I do believe that when we are advocating for transparency, we should be as transparent as possible ourselves.", she doesn't seem to practice it.

The same day, she posted "...asking for it by email will suffice to receive one by .pdf." I dunno, I had to wait 30+ days for it to be "calendared" to be sent Certified Mail, though it was unsigned and incomplete.

I was surprised to receive it Certified. Perhaps she thought I'd pretend I never got it. Project much, Bev? ('Randi! You never called me! You never left me any messages on my phone!', 'Keith!' We all know that drill.)

I suppose all I can do now is to send yet another request for the complete, true, signed filing with all required attachments and schedule(s). Maybe I'll get it by .pdf!!!!?????? I hope so, because as it stands, she is currently in violation of fulfilling the public request and potential penalty fees are piling up. But hey, it's only donors' money.

This epitomizes Bev Harris. It's just an example of what she considers "evidence."

:)

keep track of an organization's failure to provide information which is required to be provided?

an org.'s failure to file or failure to comply with public copy requests. That is up to the IRS. A complaint may be filed with the IRS.

equals suspicious behavior. I've made it a policy to not donate to any org. which doesn't provide them (and I'm leaning toward not donating if they're not easily available as a pdf on the org's web site - I only donate to a few well-known, well-respected orgs if this is the case - and have written letters to those asking them to provide the info on their web sites.).

So the IRS is taking forms w/out signatures on them now, huh? :spray: Or she's breaking the law by sending out her 'special versions' :crazy:

I can't wait to hear all the excuses the bots & puppets come up with for this one - extra points will be granted for creativity, originality & diversionary tactics! :rofl:


'Course it'll take awhile for them to come together & work out the talking points ... points usually posted in the wee hours when no one's around to refute them right away.

Why are they always late to the party?

And then you've got to load up that tiny car.

It's easy. The official form is right online.

please use the website below

http://www.irs.gov/compliance/enforcement/article/0,,id=106778,00.html

To report Washington State Fraud

charities@secstate.wa.gov

as she is required to.

There also are no IRS Forms 990 listed a guidestar. So it is most likely that the group has not filed at all during the last 3 years.


http://www.guidestar.org/index.jsp

If a 990 is filed with the IRS, it generally shows up on Guidestar appx. two months after IRS receives it. Non-profits can also send copies directly to Guidestar.

HOWEVER, a posting on Guidestar does NOT fulfill the legal requirements for an organization to comply with a public copy request for 990 filing.

BBV has no previous 990s on file, as they are 'new' as a non profit 501(c)3 org., and their first required filing year is for July 2004-June 2005. Their filing was originally due 11/15/2005. They filed for 6 months of extensions, and claim to have filed 5/15/2006.

Duuuude!



You're Gonna Get A Cell!

I had someone calling themselves a roofing company that "fixed" my roof for 2,500. I had it redone later because water started coming in my living room. The inital problem had been ice dams damage.

Long story short as someone who has been swindled, I'm not going to swing Bev from a rope until I know all the facts.

This is one aspect of DU that I truly despise. Ripping to shreds someone who could be a potential ally because of a history of bad blood. Not a lot of diplomats here on DU I guess.



Just my opinion.


W/O Bev I would have never found DU.

what? Forgive and forget?

Sorry, DUer Andy Stephenson isn't ALIVE to forgive OR forget.

As for the rest of us, well.........we'll try to make sure she doesn't find anymore victims.

Somehow I missed the facts and all I heard was the afterburners kicking in every time her name was mentioned.

As far as I know Andy had an illness and because of the administration not enough health coverage to get the right treatment in a timely manner. There were fund raisers and prayers for him on DU and some thing about issues between him and Bev aggravated his condition is about all I got out of it.

Andy's death was a horrible thing and I GET that a lot of people dearly loved him. I did not know him myself.

With as much as Bev actually went out and collected information about election fraud in 2004, whose to say the people she's making nervous didn't drive a wedge between Bev and other DEMS?

I look at this form and since someone else filled it out on her behalf, it seems to be Bev paid someone to screw her. You see it as her doing something wrong and I don't get it.

I would suggest that you attempt to gather the facts before you speak against fellow DUers.

You can start with this thread which is full of links to her history.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=203&topic_id=340188

I'm NOT speaking out against fellow DUers. I just hate the way we go after one another.

I have someone in another thread calling me and idiot because I want to see the Emergency Town Hall meeting go ahead re: CA 50. I had thought of alerting the mods, but I hung in there and just brought up facts and he got a mod to delete my posts.

I still haven't got to whatever Bev said was so awful, but if you have multiple people coming at you it's easy to lose it.

Her mis-understanding of QuiTan origionally and the idea of wanting everything out in the open seemed to have changed when she found out they could split up the lawsuit and keep most things transparrent.. so far I'm still seeing Bev as presenting reasonable comments and some people are already mad at her.

and failed response to a 990 request. It has nothing whatever to do with DUers going after one another. Bev is not a DUer. You have not been attacked on this thread, and if you have been attacked on another thread, go hit alert on anyone who calls you an idiot.

I'm NOT speaking out against fellow DUers. I just hate the way we go after one another.

I have someone in another thread calling me and idiot because I want to see the Emergency Town Hall meeting go ahead re: CA 50. I had thought of alerting the mods, but I hung in there and just brought up facts and he got a mod to delete my posts.

I still haven't got to whatever Bev said was so awful, but if you have multiple people coming at you it's easy to lose it.

Her mis-understanding of QuiTan origionally and the idea of wanting everything out in the open seemed to have changed when she found out they could split up the lawsuit and keep most things transparrent.. so far I'm still seeing Bev as presenting reasonable comments and some people are already mad at her.

What tells you that someone else filled it out on her behalf? It is not signed. Bev paid someone to screw her? Ahhhhh.... I see, as usual, it wasn't Bev's fault, it's someone else's fault.

On re-read and re-examine, I can see why you would be suspicious, but I still don't feel it's my place to go all the way into the judgements most people her on DU do about Bev.

I understand there are many who feel there is a legitimate beef with Bev and I'm still reading the history to find out why it's such a toxic subject.

I suppose to me it's like reaching across the isle to a rethug who sometimes will work with you to get a bi-partisan bill accomplished and while not entirely trusting them in every respect, being professional and focusing on points of agreement in the midst of this tradgedy of a government we have falling down around US.

This post isn't exactly re-arranging deck chairs on the Titanic, but it isn't getting people into lifeboats either. Making a person walk the plank for saving their own hide and locking others below decks to drown while we are still trying to get off the boat would be my analogy.

When we get our elections back and we have the leisure to go back and clean house is when I think we should address these things. Until we have our elections back anyone who will fight beside us should be given a space to fight.

...is when I think we should address these things."

WRONG. We don't have the luxury of ignoring these things. You are claiming that the ends justify the means.

We demand that congressmen behave legally and ethically whatever side of the aisle they sit on.

There are a great number of honest, dedicated activists who have busted their butts bringing real progress to election reform without spending their time soliciting money.

It is IMPORTANT that the movement not have any threat of being discredited. Bev needs to come clean, open and public regarding her finances. If Bev cares so much about election reform, why is she apparently so reluctant to be open and transparent??? Why?

Again, I still have never personally seen what she has done wrong. I am researching the old posts, but just consider me the #7 jury member who missed a whole lot during a bathroom break and who has trouble understanding what blew up in my absense until I get the facts.

Go research (lots & lots of links in post #40). It will likely keep you entertained for hours or days. Since you feel that you missed a lot and are having trouble understanding, reading in depth to get the facts is very a good idea, rather than posting that you are unaware of the history.

The people who have provided facts in this post have been helpful.

The snide comments are not.

I'm basically a peaceful person who will fight for my rights, my country and for people to be treated fairly. I thought DU was a good place to be that kind of person.

Obviously I never understood that the requirements for DU membership have always been or have changed and I need to be a vindictive and spiteful cheerleader whenever someone feels they have been wronged to be accepted or keep my mouth shut.

by visiting old links - but most of the links provided are so huge they take forever to load and I'm not sure exactly which posts I should be looking for. It would be rather time consuming and frustrating to say the least.

Could you provide some cut and paste, a couple examples of Bev's vindictive and spiteful words, I would also like to see who and what she was replying to to keep it in context - and vice versa. This probably is a big thing to ask but it seems you are very familiar with this history.

in the mirror tonight when I say G'nite to Andy's ghost.
Thanks for posting...

Carol

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so please do not say someone else filled it out for her..that is an unknown..since any real CPA or Accountant would sign their work,.,in fact its mandatory by the IRS!! each and every page!!

that was not the case in this document..it was not signed by anyone!

this isn't even good enough to be a paper towel to wipe up the crap up that Bev has dished out!

this is a bogus document..its bullshit!

fly

That is an absurdly broad brush. My purpose is not to rehash all of Bev's antics that have caused so many to write her off, resent her, regard her as a liar and much worse. Some here think she's just peachy-keen (but not very many).

The point of my post is not to have a new Bev war, but to point out that given an opportunity for Bev to quiet many of the questions that have gone on here for at least a year and a half regarding BBV.org finances, and given her purported devotion to transparency, she has not taken the opportunity to clear things up, but rather has skirted legal requirements for public disclosure, left the whole matter murky, questionable, and unanswered.

What do you make of that?

I don't know if she hired an accounting firm that did a bad job for her or if she is really doing something wrong, so I'm not jumping on any band wagon to prosecute her here on DU w/o knowing all the facts. This seems highly circumstantial to me.

If people are really concerned, I guess they should alert the IRS and ask them to investigate.

If there are irregularities or if this envelope you received was some sort of screw up that wasn't intended to make you more suspicious, then with an investigation either way you would know.

would have signed it!! period the end..its required by law..that they sign it!

this was unsigned from what i am seeing!

bogus..its all bogus...

fly

It goes into actual misfeasance.

What if the form was completed with blue ink that didn't photo copy?

I'm not defending Bev, I just don't see that this is real evidence of wrong doing on her part.

If anyone, DEM or not is doing something wrong it needs to be dealt with, but when we eat our own, we're doing the rethugs jobs for them.

I'm not from Missouri, but with all that's going on in the US these days, I've got a "show me" attitude and this ain't something I would pay for as a real article.

Hahahahahaa!!!!!!! :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

You're not defending Bev? You're doing a mighty good impression of it.

"...I just don't see that this is real evidence of wrong doing on her part." I did not say it was "real evidence of wrong doing", I said that it was an opportunity for her to put some questions regarding BBV's finances to rest. SHE has evidently chosen NOT to.

Look, I'm not trying to be stupid or anything.. I just wish there were a logical explanation that would enable us all to work together and that you will somehow find that whatever money she's using is being spent properly.

You said: it was an opportunity for her to put some questions regarding BBV's finances to rest. SHE has evidently chosen NOT to.

You could be right.

I remember not wanting to even consider LIHO or MIHOP for 9/11. I still don't have the all the facts. No one does. But I've seen enough to believe those scenarios can't be excluded.

The days of monochromatic copiers ended some years ago, and it is highly unlikely that she managed to get her hands on one.

And even if it were done in a blue ink so light that it could not photocopy, and on a machine over a decade old, such a flawed copy could not meet the legal bar.

The law requires certain colored inks be used on official documents for JUST the reason of photocopies, photography, and facsimile of such documents.

This form was never signed.

Now, the question remains; Was this a setup? Did she send a fake form to Trouble, and the REAL form to the IRS? If so, we shall know in 30 days, but if so, she is in violation of the law that requires disclosure.

Had to redo a timecard because it didn't show up on a fax.

But you are right - govt forms usually say somewhere on them to use black ink.

If the IRS has the real form though, then this copy could have been a mistake OR a fake. She'd still have to pay the fine even if it was a mistake and not intentional, right?

She would still be in violation of the law. And she isn't *that* stupid.

Bev is currently in violation of the laws regulating non-profit 501(c)3 response to public request for 990 filing. She did NOT fully comply with the requirements.

Try to read the original post. You can also go to the United States Internal Revenue Service site, and do some reading.

but i will restrain myself!

fly

...I'm not going to swing Bev from a rope until I know all the facts"

There ya go, exactly. A great many people feel that they have been swindled by Bev Harris, so I attempted to give Bev the opportunity, through legal public means, to provide the FACTS. But Bev seemingly does not want to provide them. It was not demanded that she scan her books and put them online, merely to provide what is legally due to the public. She has not complied.

What do you think of that situation? As someone has been swindled, do you wonder?

And it means to you that she's doing WHAT exactly?

has not complied with the legal requirements for responding to a public 990 copy request.

It means that she is not interested in the finances of her organization being transparent to the public.

Exactly.

Thanks for answering both questions for me.

So far I guess she has run up a $180 fine, and counting.

on how that money was spent. It's called accountability.

"People at DU gave Bev money. They are entitled to information on how that money was spent."

I agree with accountability. I just have never understood where all the huge anger comes from and I have never been able to find out because as soon as I try, people start beating me up with posts as well. (This time I got a lot of background to research, so maybe at somepoint I will understand.)

Something about this does seem weird, and I guess I just wish there were a logical explanation that didn't stoke the fires between DU and Bev. Even if we aren't on the same team in many respects, if we can get our elections back to verifiable, I will be happy and grateful to everyone for their part in getting that accomplished.

if you are looking for the history of Bev & DU. http://journals.democraticunderground.com/Kelvin%20Mace/2

Though her history is not the subject of this thread. The subject relates to trying to get a 990 filing copy as required by IRS public disclosure regulations.

but i took the time to read through the "Bev threads"... a few months ago, someone posted a recap thread for those who missed out on all the drama. It took a couple of hours, but having visited it in depth now, i can say that Bev's behavior was (and still is, if you can read between the lines) appalling. She harrassed this man Andy (who worked for her) after he saw a doctor and was told he had cancer. She publicly said she thought he was lying about his illness and tried to smear him as he was dying in the hospital. Her mismanagement of BBV allowed for him to be screwed out of any benefits. She has solicited and excepted millions(?) of dollars (question mark is there because she has never accounted for any of the money she has recieved). Also, from what i understand, nearly everything she said BBV was going to do after selection 2000, they failed to do. She is ALL TALK AND BLUSTER. She is a scheister. This 990 is the only time anyone has managed to get a peep out of BBV about their finances... and it's an invalid document.

She is caustic, anyone who seems to have had extended dealings with her has a negative opinion.

All that being said, the one positive thing about BBV and Bev is the publicity they occasionally generate around election fraud.

I never got all the way into the Andy connection. That puts a perspective on it I wasn't able to get during the time he was sick because people were over the edge and after a few attempts to find out information I felt it better not to probe the sore spot.

It does take a very long time to read those threads, and it can be pretty sickening.

I don't want to turn this into an Andy thread, but Tigress might be interested to know what Bev said about Andy (posted on Free Republic) regarding his diagnosis with Pancreatic Cancer, when he was fighting for his life, a couple of months before he died:

"Sometimes the things he says are very annoying, but we all eventually meet our maker, don't we?"

Stuff not so very nice.

And don't get me started about the Clinton cigars...

If only for Andy's sake. Damnit to hell.

I'm reading the Form 990 pdf which Kelvin posted the link to. BBV took in almost $1,000,000. Since they didn't attach Schedule B to the form, no one contributed over $5,000.

of the money came from "grants". That would be almost $400K.

is a peculiar statement, isn't it? I figure it's probably just yet another Bev lie.

Who needs Florida, when we still have Ohio? And you, of course? :sarcasm:

Here is what I had to say after my experience with her and her organization during Election Investigation 2004: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=203&topic_id=211132

Also, Andy was a friend of mine. :(

to an analysis of personal observation and experience.

is only 990 deep.

:popcorn:

...does anybody think that Bev will decide to depart the country for someplace with no extradition treaty with the accumulated unspent funds?

If so, now would be the time she would do that, before the shit hits the fan.

Bev is so deluded, she's thinks she's a hero. She's waiting for the ticker tape parade.

Since I know she has been here to read this thread already, I assumed she would have some pithy comment about this and some explanation as to the anomalies, but I I could hear were...

In April when I posted on DU that I had asked her for well over a year for an indication of how many FOIAs were responded to, it only took her a few hours to 'out' my personal information (real name and home location) publicly on her site.

It's not like she's taking Sunday off?... It was Easter Sunday that she'd outted me. And she says she works 85 hours a week.

(by the way, she still hasn't indicated how many FOIAs were responded to, how many were partially responded to, and how many were not)

Duche means "Duke." Learn to spell.

for that! Learn to be less of a freeper!

:rofl:


Edited: P.S: Was that you, Bev?:hi: :rofl:

:toast:

:toast:

in the State of Washington to solicit donations, as required by law.

BBV did not show up on WA SoS website as being registered, so I called SoS office. Not registered.

Non Profit Corporations (which is what BBV is- actual name is Black Box Voting, Inc.) are required to file with the State of Washington Secretary of State Charities Program.

Excerpts from Washington law RCW Chapter 19.09




She's been in violation for two years.

.

This person who purports to be the Goddess-Hero of advocating open public records and legitimacy, who demands transparency, accuracy and accountability from public officials and voting machine companies, who insists on being THE Face of election integrity, who self-proclaims being "the official consumer protection group for elections" has set up a situation where she can easily be discredited by not abiding by the law or transparency herself.

The bigger her name becomes as 'the face' of election integrity, the more easily election reform opponents will be able to discredit the entire movement because of her irresponsible, unstable, and unlawful conduct. Her behavior will cost and smear us all.

There are many organizations truly doing important work and getting REAL results that are genuinely worthy of our support.

I wouldn't contribute a damned nickel to someone who puts the election reform effort in such a bad position.

I swear it's almost like she goes out of her way to find the most illegal, underhanded, sloppy way to do everything! Even when the easiest course would be the straight & narrow, she goes for the more complicated & perilous route to travel. Wouldn't, I dunno, bungee-jumping or drag racing be a healthier outlet for the 'danger rush' she seems to be addicted to?

I would venture to say that it's time to ask the question she & the clowns like to focus on those who dare to stand up to her - who & what would gain the most from making Harris the 'face' of election reform with her history of brushes w/the law & continued refusals to adhere to the most basic legal requirements for her org? What industry would benefit the most from election reform's 'face' standing on such a shoddy foundation?

Who does SHE really work for?

Just frigging unbelievable! Even she knows better than driving without a frigging license!

I do NOT believe that this crap is an oversight.
I do NOT believe that this crap is unintentional.
I do NOT believe that this crap is continuing.
I do NOT believe that people are STILL buying into her shill.
I do NOT believe that this woman is walking around
w/out handcuffs & a striped suit.

... and a kick up!

Does anyone know someone with a GuideStar Select or Premium membership?
More info might be available to them.....

that that's what Charity navigator does - there was an interview with a representative and she said they go straight to the IRS; if they can, so can you. She suggested asking the charity directly as a test of its transparency - obviously, your experience with BBV shows they're not transparent at all. So if you really want the 990, go to the IRS. (try Charity Navigator's site if you haven't already but they focus on the bigger charities so they may not have it).

A few moments ago, BBV emailed me a .pdf of the required Schedule A attachment. A little comment about that shortly.

Moments later, I was sent a link to the 990 now posted by BBV.org, including the signature page. Signature page is quite strange. Obviously these girls did not have the help of a CPA. It is signed by Vickie Karp, and the printed name and title is Beverly Harris, Director.

Now that it is online for all to see, I feel I can make some comments about my observations about this document in the next post.

The 990 is here: http://www.blackboxvoting.org/f990bbv.pdf

Does this 990 look like the one she sent to you?

Amazing, she rakes in about 10-12 times more than many other
non profits.

Wow, almost a $Million bucks?????

Andy Stephenson told me on his death bed that he believed that she raked in one million JUST from Randi Rhodes.

Bev said she only got 23,000 as a result of Randi!

Bet Randi would be interested to see this!!!!!

I expect she will have Air America's lawyers on it presently.

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It asked the question of others' opinions.

Purloined funds? We have no way to know one way or another. All we have is Bev's purported filing without her own signature. We can't know very much beyond that. An auditing would.

You are right, Ben has an interesting job archiving progressive radio programs for all of us to listen to.

I see two signatures on the form, the signature of Bev Harris and the signature of Vickie Karp, President of the Board of Directors.

Are you accusing both Bev Harris and Vickie Karp of committing perjury?

You have used innuendo and speculation for months now, but it turns out that none of it is true. Instead of just admitting that you screwed up, and apologizing to Bev Harris for portraying her as a thief, you hope to resurrect your own credibility.

I understand Jim March who was spending a lot of time with Arizona activists last month checked around. No one in Arizona has ever heard of you. Apparently you haven't donated a cent to Black Box Voting and no one can find one single thing you have ever done for election reform in Arizona or anywhere else.

Innuendo and speculation? Really? Huh.

I did ask Bev for a list of election 2004 FOIA responses as to how many complied/how many partially complied/how many did not comply. I have asked for well over a year, but Bev says that this information is kept on a dry-erase board in the office.

Wow! Imagine that! Jim March is snooping over the state after me? "No one in Arizona has heard of (me)". Cool! I'll notify the utility companies, and maybe they'll stop sending me bills! I'll have to tell all my friends and acquaintances, "You never heard of me, OK!?"

You're aware that I moved here just a few months ago, right? You know everything. You sure are correct that I have never given a dime to Black Box Voting.

It strikes me as pretty funny that Jim March "checked around" because I'd requested a 990 from BBV.

Misfeasance - Performing a legal action in an improper way. This term is frequently used when a professional or public official does his job in a way that is not technically illegal, but is nevertheless mistaken or wrong. Here are some examples of misfeasance in a professional context: a lawyer who is mistaken about a deadline and files an important legal document too late, an accountant who makes unintentional errors on a client's tax return or a doctor who writes a prescription and accidentally includes the wrong dosage. Compare malfeasance.

Malfeasance - Doing something that is illegal. This term is often used when a professional or public official commits an illegal act that interferes with the performance of his or her duties. For example, an elected official who accepts a bribe in exchange for political favors has committed malfeasance. Compare misfeasance.

All we have here is an un-audited 990 that no CPA has signed off on.

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I was asking her a question.

Why do you think I meant you?

Or maybe she read it. Or maybe her lawyers are saving the posts for her. Looks like she's got enough money to sue anyone she wants to.

I called her. They've already initiated the lawsuits. One against Rob Pelletier, one against Diebold, three more C&Ds going out this week and they've identified real names behind 48 people so they can go after them too.

Maybe you should make sure your facts are correct next time. Truth is an absolute defense, too bad you didn't stick to it.

I have not said a single actionable thing here.

I do not trust Bev Harris because of what she did to my friend.

Bev Harris waits a maximum amount of time to publish her 990, and it does not have an accountant's signature on it, and she posted that she had an accounting firm that specializes in non-profits working on it long ago. What am I to think about that? Am I to trust this document?

All I have said is that we cannot know from this document that she has not pocketed funds. Not without an audit.

Last I looked, that was not even close to actionable.

Really? I thought it wasn't her money. Is this a threat?

In other words. "Don't ask questions if you know what is good for you."

But I can see nothing whatsoever here that makes me think this is an honest 990.

Why did she email it, because of the penalties, or did you ask her to
email it?

sitting on $613K of cash?

Not exactly poor, eh?

I wouldn't want to be in the shoes of people who said she stole it.

I asked if anybody thinks she was LIKELY to.

And I asserted that this 990 is no proof that she did not.

No CPA involved. No audit.

"Part IV Line 60"
Payroll Tax Liability $24,268 pd FY 2005

Apparently, she did not pay payroll taxes monthly as required by the IRS for at least a year! She paid them late, sometime after the close of fiscal year.... sometime in 2005 or 2006. How does one get away with that???!!! WHAT ARE THE PENALTIES??!! IRS penalties are stiff. Oh, well, it's just donors' money.

This is why Andy could not get unemployment, etc.

unless you work for an organization for six months.

They show FY starting July 1, 2004. That means Andy Stephenson would need to have been employed through Jan. 1, 2005. When did he leave?

If he left before January 2005 he would not be able to qualify for unemployment. At least not in California. Better be sure of your facts. If he didn't qualify for unemployment it was a decision of the government not BBV.

...in every state I am aware of.

with his Subway sandwich franchise. But then, even if he did, didn't he get rid of that when he ran for secretary of state? In my state, you have to work for an organization for a specific period of time AND you have to have worked for a minimum number of months during the previous 12 months. If Stephenson stopped working in his Subway shop because he sold it, that might have ruled him out.

I'm just saying you should get your facts straight before you get yourself in trouble. If he didn't qualify, being turned down for unemployment had nothing to do with BBV at all.

Wasn't he going around the state running for office? I saw a photo of them in December 2003 with his Stephenson for Secretary of State banner behind them. Sounds like he hadn't been employed for a long time and then worked for BBV for, what, 5 months?

Maybe he didn't qualify. You should check.

Can you explain how an employer can avoid making monthly payroll tax deposits for more than a year?

What are the accumulated penalties on that?

How do donors feel about their money going to pay IRS penalties?

There were penalties. Apparently Andy told people he was doing the accounting and filling out the payroll forms but didn't do it. They had to reconstruct the whole thing and engaged the services of an accounting firm to negotiate the penalties with the IRS. Shit happens. You can't tar them without tarring Andy. Or are you claiming that he did his job but they suddenly stopped paying the taxes after pulling him off of accounting?

The biggest penalties would be the oldest nonpaid taxes.

That is their story, but not the one Andy told me on his death bed.

What's Bev's excuse for filing no payroll taxes for the peiod of at least a year at all until some mysterious unknown time after June 30?

What Andy may or may not have "told people" is entirely beside the point. I don't give a damned if Andy did his "job" or not. He was there 6 months. She paid zero payroll deposits for at least a year. It is Bev's responsibility to oversee the running and finances of the organization.

"There were penalties" due to Bev being incapable of properly running and overseeing this organization. Everything she does is sloppy and inept at the very best. Donor money is going to pay these penalties.

I used to believe in the old gal.

in April of 2004 she was my all time hero.

I remember being somewhat hurt when she sloughed me off on Andy when
I needed press releases from their organization.

I could never believe that one person did all the things that she
claimed to do. That one person Examined the innards of all the machines that she
claimed to examine.

Turns out she didn't. She buddied up to other people, then when she was in another part of
the country she wouldn't exactly mention the name of the person who went inside
the State of Georgia machinery or who looked at the results of voting snafus in Georgia.
Was a lot more convenient for her to just say that she DID EVERYTHING herself.

As I got to know Andy I found out the truth of the above. One day in January, 2005
when I had not talked to Bev in over five weeks, she calls me up to start screaming
"You are no Greg Palast! You are no Greg Palast!" <<HUH? Had I ever said I was
Greg Palast? I used to talk to Greg - and I doubt that he had started the rumor?!@*#
I am still wondering and waiting for an explanation.>>

Anyway Bev is charming She is intelligent. But she will turn on ya faster than a cobra
in a hat box. Don't ever get attention yourself, not even a little tiny bit of it, cuz she
will start calling you and screaming at you...

Andy was not, as far as I know, ever in a situation where he sat down and filed anything
related to the IRS. My dad was an accoutant, a fine tax accouhntant, and Andy knew this.
If he had been involved in filling out massive amounts of forms I think he would have
mentioned it to me, as we chatted each other up twice a week. He spent most days from Oct
2004 to mid January 2005 dealing with BBV as the press liason (a full time job in itself -
I would call him at noon and he would often not get back to me till 10:30 PM CA time -
usually saying G'nite to some other press personnel as he began my call.
He also spent a ton of time dealing with actual polling places. After overseeing his being
fired, in Dec 2004, I can imagine Bev deciding that it would be convenient to "say" that
Andy filed the government forms. And now that he is dead, she can pretty much say that
he was pretty much in charge of anything she puts into her pretty little head to say.

Andy is not gonna contradict her.

When the websites were started to "Swift Boat" Andy, well, things on those websites could have only
come from Bev, who fed the facts and made-up facts as she choose to misrepresent things about
Andy to the person or people running those sites.

Someone wrote a hilarious satire of the type of derogatory remarks made by the Evil Ones against Andy.
had to do with his dog "Ballot" Did he really get a dog? It's not a dog? it's a puppy- -but Andy calls it a dog.
And if he wanted a dog, why did he wait so long? (THe actual derogatories were things like
"Does Andy have cancer. No, Dr Finkel of John Hopkins says he doesn't" "And since he has cancer, why is he
waiting so long for the treatment." ETC> {You probably had to BE THERE to get it Sorry...

Anyway all I can say is the wrong person died.

You seem to have all Andy's personal information at your fingertips for such a newcomer. You never talked to Andy on his death bed. You never tried to keep his spirits up moments after he had the cancer caused stroke that robbed him of his vision, the first of several strokes that would progressively rob him of his faculties and result in his death three days later.

The 990 forms have nothing to do with Andy. Since you can't find anything wrong with them you are changing the subject.

...is that they are un-audited.

You don't read very carefully. There are many things "wrong" and questionable. Mathematical errors, items entered on wrong line, unpaid payroll tax for the entire year, improper signatures, etc., not to mention that she is two years in violation with WA state law.

WHY WHY WHY with a million $ in donor contributions, did she not want to have a CPA do this filing? I have read literally dozens and dozens of non profit org. 990s over the last couple of weeks. Bev's is the first one I've found without a professional preparers name. WHY? She constantly talks about her "accounting firm", yet it was not prepared by a CPA. WHY? Could she not find one to sign off on it??? WHY NOT?

She relies on the good faith of her donors. Does she owe them any responsibility to have her filing properly prepared without these 'errors'? Do you feel Bev owes her donors of a million dollars a properly prepared tax form checked by a Certified Public Accountant? WHY NOT? The money would have been better spent on a CPA than IRS penalties.

If you were close to a deadline they send in a tag team and work overtime.

And that is a totally legitimate expense.

her fiscal year ended June 30, 2005. You'd think 9with all her supposed accounting firms) that she could manage a CPA prepared filing in 11 months!???

If I were a donor, I'd sure as shit see accounting costs as a legitimate and desirable expense, unlike IRS penalties.

On edit:

And he was NOT responsible for doing the accounting or payroll at BBV, although anytime anything went wrong he apparently was blamed.

He told me the same.

SINCE HE JUST LOST HIS JOB..HE DID NOT QUALIFY .. AS HE ONLY THEN WAS TOLD BEV DID NOT PAY HEALTH INSURANCE ON HIM , SHE HAD TOLD HIM HE WAS COVERED WHILE HE WAS WORKING FOR HER!!

SHE LIED TO HIM!

AND I AM WRITING IN CAPS BECAUSE I AM STILL FURIOUS!

FLY

"She had told him he was covered while he was working for her!"

Then maybe the current employees better check see if they have insurance.

Hmmmm.... history tends to repeat itself.

But it does not appear that Bev signed this 990. That isn't her signature is it? Even though her name is printed on the line below?

Does the other person have Bev's power of atty?

It was a rhetorical question.

Otherwise Bev will have your IP information;

http://anonymouse.org/cgi-bin/anon-www.cgi/http://www.blackboxvoting.org/f990bbv.pdf

The one on the BBV site appears to be a blank form with one or two signed pages.

I'll send you the copy I fetched.

Line 1
Contributions, gifts, grants and similar amounts received: $972,304

Bev tells 'FrankSolich', chief Scamdy scum on freerepublic, 5/15/2005:



That is nearly $400,000 (or maybe 300k, as it was only 3/4 thru fiscal year) in 'grants', as opposed to small donations from individuals. Who gave such grants?

Since Bev is interested in transparency of her organization, perhaps now she'd like to divulge that information.

Schedule 990 sa.

All the grants must have been small. In my film business it's not unusual to get $1000 grants. If you take the whole amount raised a $1000 grant wouldn't buy any influence.

You can figure out the average grants and donation size from the form 990 sa. The cumulative amount of anything over approx. $19,000 shows up. There was only approx. $11,000 over that amount (cumulative). They show 99% of their income from amounts under $19,000. And a $20,000 grant would only be about 2 percent of their income,

But I thought she stole the money. I guess now that you know she didn't you'll have to find smaller things to criticize.

WHO are these grants from? How many? Any over $1,000? Over $5,000? $10,000? $20,000?

The only place I have ever seen her speak of grants is on freerepublic. Perhaps she'd like to clear it up.

I have not accused Bev of stealing money. She has been in non-compliance with public disclosure request. She is not registered with Washington State and has been soliciting for two years in violation of law. Apparently she did not make monthly payroll tax deposits for at least a year in violation of IRS law.

She bragged about having an accountant on board, who specializes in 501(c)(3) orgs. She claimed to be "surprised" to find out that her "accounting firm" had filed for a filing extension. The form has mathematical errors, amounts entered on incorrect lines, and the signature line is a joke, a sixth grader knows how to follow instructions (has she NEVER filed a tax return before?). This was not done by a Certified Public Accounting firm. She is handling nearly a million dollars in publicly donated funds, and doesn't appear to care a whit about being responsible enough to her donors to get decent accounting work or avoid wasting funds on fines and penalties.

We still don't know if the books are honest.

No CPA has signed their name to this document, and they CLEARLY have the funds to pay for fully audited books.

If that doesn't raise a red flag for you, then you clearly are trying hard to believe it.

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

But I need to see the proof of that. And this filing is an assertion of fact, not proof of it.

did you make that?? :rofl:

it's free. It takes six weeks!!! But you're right, it should be done.

on May 15 as claimed, it should show up on Guidestar about 7/15. If it indeed comes via the IRS, it will have this IRS stamp right in the middle of the front page:



If it shows up without that stamp, it means the organization sent it directly to Guidestar, bypassing IRS.

Remains to be seen.

means that it is the organization's first year of filing. "Final Return" is when an organization is ceasing operations. I know! It is an odd lookin' thing!

How can it not be a final return when it is this late?

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

And a badly informed one.

If all of your information of of this caliber, no wonder you believe Bev Harris to be honest.

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

She told him that people were signing up on BB to be available for recounts and - I think - she asked people to donate their video cameras to BB so volunteers could go to the polls and tape events. She said that 100's of people were signing up at BB every hour... I think I have all of that right. :shrug:

Now that I know BB has taken in nearly 1,000,000 in the past year, and is asking for used video cameras, I very "disappointed".

Has BB has been filling a 'niche' that no other organization has been filling? What is that niche? Why aren't people banging down the gates at all of the excellent organizations that are quietly the job done.

:redbox: VotersUnite.org http://www.votersunite.org/
E-VOTING 2006: The Approaching Train Wreck * Mythbreakers: Facts About Electronic Elections * Voting system failures by vendor * Vote-Switching and Ballot Definition Problems

:redbox: VoteTrustUSA.org http://www.votetrustusa.org/
Daily News * States: Indiana * Subscribe to the Election Integrity Weekly Newsletter * Poll Monitors’ and Poll Workers’ Guide to Electronic Voting

:redbox: VerifiedVoting.org http://www.verifiedvoting.org/
Resolution on Electronic Voting * Election Administration Project: Best Practices for Reliable Election Systems. * Election Incident Reporting System (EIRS) * Election Protection Questionnaires: Local & State Election Officials, Pre-Election Testing

:redbox: National Election Data Archive http://electionarchive.org
Democracy Will Survive If Candidates, Political Parties, and Voters Act. * For Candidates: Assure that Votes in Your Race Are Counted Accurately * For Political Parties: Synopsis: Assure Accurate Vote Counts * For Political Parties: Long: Help Ensure Vote Count Integrity * For Voters: What Voters Can Look For & Report On

:redbox: ACLU: Voting Rights http://www.aclu.org/votingrights/
Working to make registration accessible and to protect minority voting rights. Tremendous legislative work on behalf of citizens impacted by gerrymandering.

:redbox: Voter Action http://www.voteraction.org/
Provides strategic and legal support to ensure verifiable, accurate and transparent voting systems. Has supported lawsuits in Arizona, California, Colorado, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Pennsylvania.

:redbox: Common Cause http://www.commoncause.org/
Sponsors Vote for America, a non-partisan voter education and mobilization program. Go to the Common Cause site, locate the organizers for your state and contact them!

:redbox: People for the American Way: Civic Participation http://www.pfaw.org/
Election Protection Program offers: volunteer poll monitors; civil rights lawyers and advocates who preserve access to the polls, expose and prevent voter intimidation; help working with election officials to identify and solve problems with new voting machines, technology and ballot forms.

:redbox: League of Women Voters: Election Reform http://www.lwv.org/
American Democracy at Risk: Agenda for Renewal and Repair includes recommendations for election reform and advocates nonpartisan redistricting, safeguarding civil liberties; campaign finance reform.

:redbox: Brennan Center for Justice http://www.brennancenter.org/
The Brennan Center report finds improper implementation of new voter registration databases could prevent millions from voting.

Thank you for posting the list of great organizations that people can support.

Also, I am deeply concerned about Bev signing people up for recounts. At very minimum, she seems sloppy, disorganized and then manages to alientate people.

I recall many who had signed up to volunteer through her before, and were disgusted that they were completely ignored by her when we really needed good feet on the ground.

I think the most sure way to guarantee that there WON'T be recount volunteers available when needed is to have them sign up with Bev's org. Whether deliberate or through incompetance, it truly concerns me.

donation just sent to two of the orgs you listed.

I keep wishing that i had a listing of organizations-
yours is a fine one

Carol

I am not accusing Bev Harris of anything other than making a horrible botch of the financial transparency of BBV, of having treated many people, including my friend Andy, in a very shabby fashion, of being ineffective in the fight against electronic voting, and of having so totally lost my trust that I wouldn't believe a word out of her mouth or a form out of her organization without proof.

we've had participation by but two people who apparently remain "Bev loyalists" (but one was tombstoned).

No answers though, as to whether loyal donors feel that using their donations for IRS penalties & interest, and penalties for non compliance with a public documet request are appropriate use for contributed funds. No word from Bev fans on their view of her failure to file payroll taxes or how they feel about the fact that she has been in violation of Washington state law regarding soliciting donations for two years. No comment about what they think about Bev not having a CPA overlook a tax filing of a million dollars.

We have had veiled threats of lawsuits, implied intimidation of being sought out by someone who claims to carry a gun at all times, smearing of our dead friend, but no answers to these questions.

Where are these people? Don't they want to discuss these matters? WHY NOT?

only three people were responsible for making "give or take a few" a 102 out of the 157 post?

You three won't let us get a word in edgewise. :rofl:

Wanna comment on:

how loyal donors feel about using their donations for IRS penalties & interest

if penalties for non compliance with a public document request are appropriate use for contributed funds

her failure to file payroll taxes

the fact that she has been in violation of Washington state law regarding soliciting donations for two years

Bev not having a CPA do tax filing of a million dollars

??

Nice to have you aboard!

right now my concern is with My family and YOUR FAMILIES future when it comes to the Illegal secret vote counting machines.

It was a pleasure talking to you troubleinwinter.

the financials of a company, do you think maybe we could perhaps try to save our dying democracy?

Personally I don't care about BBV's financials. I think if you have concerns about things you see on there, why don't you call the attorney general and file charges and leave us all out of it. Many of us here are working day and night, losing sleep, and getting many grey hairs because our democracy is dead and only a small grassroots effort is keeping the last nail on the coffin from being hammered in.

I can't afford to waste my time on this kind of stuff. Last I looked BBV has done more than any other organization to raise awareness about the problems with electronic voting. Anyone who wants to argue against this is just simply wrong. The Hursti Hacks have caused entire voting systems to be decertified. They have forced Secretaries of State to take a variety of actions and recognize problems that they previously ingored. I also believe BBV's recent report revealing the deceptive practices of Diebold, and their employees' practice of making fake websites and such will have future affects as well, because it shows the company to be untrustworthy.

Maybe if we took some of the time we are all spending on scrutinizing BBV's financial statements and instead looked at Diebold's, Sequoia's, and ESS's financial statements, we would find something that would really help our effort.

Should non profits provide transparency?
Should voting machine companies provide transparency?

Should there be accountability for a non profit?
Should there be accountability for a voting machine company?

I'm only questioning why, in a forum where we are supposed to be working to reform and fix democracy, some choose to spend their time scrutinizing the very groups that are doing the good work that is helping our cause.

Just wondering, have you also asked Diebold for a copy of their financials?

mods move it here.

Have you asked Diebold for a copy of their financials?

have not spent dozens of hours looking at BBV's. I spend my time actually working on things that I hope will help improve our election system.

I fail to see any scenario under which this attack on BBV's financials will help our cause in any way. It is a big time waster with no potential benefit.

and many other organizations strongly encourage potential donors to LOOK at and STUDY 990 filings of non-profits before donating.

How can analysis of these materials "help our cause"? By determining if donated funds are being handled in a responsible manner, if taxes deducted from employees' paychecks are being properly deposited according to law for the benefit of employees, if donated funds are being irresponsibly wasted on penalties and fees, and if these funds are being fully and accurately accounted for.... we can determine if donations are best spent on this or OTHER organizations.

Turning a blind eye to looking at facts and truth is best left to the fundies.

Having transparency of possibly the most well funded election activists organization
will increase confidence.

Audits help show that the process is working, and that it has integrity.

It is about being above reproach.

Like with elections.

Clearly this is needed by enough people, enough groups, enough reporters to make a difference.

Increased transparency and openness, as well as an organizational
ethics policy might help re-build some of the bridges burnt by this org.

We want transparency in elections, should we not expect it in organizations whose
mission is to protect elections?

Or do we just hate America?

The transparency is needed.

What's next, will we be accused of hating their freedom?

Does it mean we love Diebold if we don't pledge allegiance to the BBV flag?

Is this like burning the flag?

Are we being unpatriotic?

Should we all just be shut up?

Maybe before folks put trust in a group/organization, they have
the right to know what is going on.

Its not like there hasn't been a troubled past.

How hard is it to come up with a set of ethics for the organization,
and openness on what it has accomplished (FOIAS replied to)etc.

that the subject matter is inappropriate, you can alert the mods.

If you feel the subject is a waste of your time, you can ignore the thread.

If this issue is of so little interest to you, why then did you PM me repeatedly to ask if I'd received the forms and if I'd found anything unusual in them???????

I asked you one time. "repeatedly" is not one time. I sure hope you're more honest with your scrutiny of BBV's numbers than you are with your assessment of how many times I contacted you.

re·peat·ed·ly ( P ) Pronunciation Key (r-ptd-l)
adv.

More than once; again and again.

As I said, I only asked you one time. that is not "repeatedly." it is a false accusation. just shows how you are willing to manipulate the truth to make your point.

"did you ever get the financials from BBV?", I responded that I had recieved what was mailed to me and asked if you had also requested a 990 copy, but you did not seem to know what a 990 is. "I was just wondering if you got the financials from BBV", and then asked if I had "found anything unusual in them".

Since you regard this entire discussion as a "waste of time", why were you interested enough to PM me to see if I had received the "financials" and whether there appeared to be "anything unusual in them"? You seemed interested then, but don't want it discussed now. What gives?

on real world election reform. Like Bev Harris you seem to spend a great deal of time dealing with people that dare to ask questions.

Questions asked by progressives.

There are hundreds of RW websites mocking and ridiculing election fraudsters, if you spend even a fraction of the time you spend criticizing them as you do the doubting progressives you would have no time left for any activism.

If you don't troll those sites picking on people dissing the movement and Bev why do you hammer away at progressives?

if you want to know how much time I spend on election reform, why don't you take a look at my website. http://election.solarbus.org

or why don't you look at the free CDROM I distribute, with over 2 hours of videos on electronic voting? I put hundreds of hours into producing the CD alone.

I resent your implying that I spend significant amounts of time defending BBV. I only do it occasionally because I know it is not doing any good for our cause.

It is because of the hundreds of hours I have put into this cause that I know for a fact that BBV's work is good and valuable.

What have you done for election reform?

before that post.

You have ignored the main points of my post. Bev was only a small part of it.

After I was accused of being a paid troll here for having posted in this forum I looked up a few of the people making the accusations and I read several of the threads they posted in.

In thread after thread there you are attacking people that aren't buying the machine theories.

In the threads you aren't attacking you are politely arguing with people in 300 post threads. Some of your replies would have taken hours to craft.

My question is/was why you spend so much time arguing with PROGRESSIVE skeptics and not RW skeptics? Why do you waste so much time arguing online in the first place?

I've looked at bbv.org threads where it is perfectly clear Bev has spent several days in a row posting all day on her site organizing campaigns to out and attack her critics.

This is highly suspicious behavior considering you guys/gals all say the house is on fire.

You spend your time creating enemy lists with a small group here. How is that putting the fire out?

Do you go to any of the RW sites and spread your message? Do you spend hours crafting responses to RW critics that mock your efforts?

Bev harris is discussed all over the internet in less than a faltering light, why do you feel it's imperative to defend her on progressive sites exclusively?

I don't pretend to be an election reformer. I'm a take back congress activist that is mildly interested in security concerns. I check some election sites looking for updates or new evidence. Sadly as time goes on the people like you yelling the loudest are producing increasingly ridiculous evidence, like loose plugs that might shock old ladies.

When Bev and the bbvers screamed bloody murder after the 04 election I paid attention, but after watching the behavior of the personalities involved, the petty infighting, and the junk science, I came to the conclusion that most of the mud slinging was coming from people trying to carve a larger slice of the money PROGRESSIVES were donating to fight a problem hyped to generate donations.

because I am not fast enough on my feet to say
it first.

It seems crazy to be told we must not question the operations and
integrity of an "advocacy organization", which in fact is a corporation,
right?

What are folks afraid of?

We shouldn't expect transparency from a groupt that took in nearly a
$million bucks, and had at least half of that in cash at the end of 2004???

OMG - a non profit is not a group that doesn't take in money.
This one raked in the moolah!

Non profits - you can pick your BOD,
they give you a salary, you have these gigantic expenditures,
and no one knows what is going on.

Then, it is like pulling teeth to get the gobmint required tax return
that ALL non profits have to file.

Why so hard to get tax return?

Why punish people who ask by OUTING them on the internet, even going
so far as to include it in newsletters being sent out all over the country?

Some of the things said in that outing, IF they were true, I wouldn't say
them in a public writing. It looks petty and vindictive, and NOT professional
at all. Kind of like firing Andy Stephenson publicly. Bad form.

BBV.org was supposed to save the 2004 election.
BBV.org is supposed to save the 2006 election.
BBV.org is probably supposed to save the 2008 election.

All of this by a group that OPPOSES legislation
that would protect our elections,
that would provide more transparency in elections,
that make it possible to audit elections or do recounts in all of the United States of America.

I would like to see BBV.org become more professional in what they do,
draft and make public an ethics policy, and
draft and make public a whistleblower's protection policy,and
draft and make public a transparency policy.
draft and make a pledge to support other voting advocacy groups.

Supporters of BBV.org should embrace transparency of this organization so
that they can be proud of the group, instead of having to nag
critics or questioners to shut up.

Be proactive. Be a partner with other organizations, instead of attacking them.
I.e labeling some groups as "insiders" and some as "outsiders", BBV being an "outsider"
and "outsiders" are good. Manure!

BBV.org got some good publicity.
BBV.org got some bridges burned with MSM, missing more opportunities.
BBV.org can change for better.

Transparency in elections, transparency in election reform.

"Why so hard to get tax return?

Why punish people who ask by OUTING them on the internet, even going
so far as to include it in newsletters being sent out all over the country?

Some of the things said in that outing, IF they were true, I wouldn't say
them in a public writing. It looks petty and vindictive, and NOT professional
at all."

I'd like to see that. Got a copy?

these things you accuse me of are complete hogwash.

I don't "spend hours crafting emails." I don't have an "enemy list."

you really are full of it, putting words into my mouth and accusing me of doing things I don't do.

I occasionally reply to people here to attack BBV. I do it because there is a flood of BBV attacks here and I think they are unwarranted. I know that many people come here at the beginning of their election reform trail. I don't want them to get the impression that everyone who works in this movement distrusts BBV, because it simply isn't true. The research of BBV is unparalleled and NO ONE has made as much of an impact as BBV. I'm sorry, you just can't argue that.

The truth is that the BBV attacks are highly concentrated here. If you go into the rest of the world, and talk to the leaders of this movement, you'll find they all work closely with BBV and they highly respect the work that comes out of there.

I also know for a fact that many people even here in this forum, some of the main posters who are highly respected, they like and trust BBV and their research but they simply don't respond to any of the BBV attacks because they think it's a waste of time and they don't want to get into a flame war.

My main motivation is, I don't want people to come here for the first time, wanting to learn about election issues and come out of it thinking everything BBV does is trash. That's my only motivation.

I take issue with you questioning "what I do for election reform." the truth is, I have spent several hundreds of hours on this. I only want open and fair elections. Not only do I run the Solar Bus website, I also am director of Vermonters for Voting Integrity, the only vermont group working on this. So please don't question my motives.

to answer your question, NO, I do not go on to right wing sites and argue about this. I don't see any need to. I think those people are mostly unreasonable and irrational. I think there is enough of a base of people in the progressive community who haven't been turned on to these ideas yet, so that's who I target mainly. And that's why I come here and try to be a voice against all the BBV bashing.

have a nice day

1) BBV is not required to file a Schedule B (most 501(c)(3) are not required to file this) but must retain a list of contributors based upon Schedule A PART IV OR IV-A. Schedule B is a list of Donors & the amounts they contributed. See Box M on Page 1.

2) BBV has not included any interest income from savings or investments This is required to be reported on Page 1 PART 1 LINE 4 and on PAGE 6 PART VII LINE 95.

3) A required entry on PAGE 4 PART IV LINE 73 is missing. The PART IV of FORM 990 is OUT OF BLANCE LINE 59 MUST AGREE WITH LINE 74; LINE 73 MUST AGREE WITH PAGE 1 PART I LINE 21. Assuming the cash balance is correct the error is $12,131 ($648,129 - $72,050 - $588,210 = $12,131)

4) As far as payroll taxes are concerned; you simply do not pay them. The IRS sends you a quarterly 941 to report your taxes and report the quarterly payments. You simply do not send the form in to report the taxes and/or do not make any payments. That being said; you generally get religion on January 31st of each year when the employees want their W-2's and you have to report the W-2 to the Social Security Admin. who in turn send copies to the IRS to match with individual tax returns. The penalties for this can be up to 100% of the tax due. The IRS generally is VERY HARSH since the money belongs to the EMPLOYEES. In this case the penalties could have been $24,268 Plus interest Plus the original tax due.

5) There were some comments about BBV hiring a "CPA". There are penalties for "holding out" that is to say claiming to be a CPA when you are NOT. As I recall those penalties were raised to about $25K per incident. The Washington State Board of Accountancy does enforce those laws.


Having worked with non-profits for over 20 years. The errors that I see are very typical. Most non-profits concentrate on their mission and tend to ignore the basics of business management. I have spent a good deal of time correcting and filing tax returns from non-profits that have messed up their 941, state unemployment, federal unemployment and w-2's.


ON EDIT: OH yes they forgot Schedule A....

on your item 4): Did you mean to say, "you simply do not NOT pay them"? My reading indicates that the employer is required to make the deposits monthly.

Wow... "In this case the penalties could have been $24,268 Plus interest Plus the original tax due." That is a nasty waste of donor funds.

Line 60 on the form does not balance with ADDENDUM Part IV line 60. ????

Line 38... $45,000 for 'Printing and Publications'??!!!! As in what?! (At first, I thought it might be her book, but that publication was done well prior to the fiscal year reported, and she reports no income from the books on this form)

Can you tell me the difference between a 'grant' and a 'donation'? Bev has said that she got 40% in 'grants', but the amount claimed as 'credit card and paypal fees' is in excess of 3% of her ENTIRE TOTAL revenue. I would think that if she received $400,000 in grants, they'd be by check.

As a CPA working with non-profits for 20 years, do you find it unusual for a million dollar a year organization to file a 990 without the services of a CPA? Or that a million dollar organization does not pay payroll taxes monthly for a year?

they want everything volunteered & you have a hard time making a profit.

1) "you simply do NOT pay them" I hope I didn't include a double negative. There is a difference between compliance and enforcement. In order to "comply" with the Code you are required to make periodic deposits, either annually, quarterly, monthly or bi-weekly depending on your payroll. However, to enforce the code you have to discover an individual/corp that is not in compliance. Most of the time this happens when W-2's are sent to the IRS from the Social Security or someone informs on the entity. All of a sudden the IRS finds W-2's coming in against an employer id number that has not paid into the fund. the threshold for monthly filing of one's tax returns is $2,500 of tax liabilities per month; or $30,000 per year. BBV's tax liability of $24K could qualify for quarterly payment & reporting, MAYBE.

2) The information relating to grants and other forms of support is on Schedule B or is retained by the organization and is generally NOT open to public inspection. The reason for this is to protect client lists and donor lists from being taken and used by another organization. Also known in religious circles as Sheep Stealing.

3) If as you indicate BBV received approx $400K in grants her financial statements most likely would have been audited. Almost all major foundations require audited financial statements. The Gates Foundation, The Seattle Foundation & United Way of King County I believe all require audits depending on the level of their support and the organizations size. Any variances between the Audited Financial Statements and what is reported on Form 990 would show up on PAGE 5 PART IV-A & IV-B.; which are both marked N/A. On the other hand if BBV received funds from non-profits controlled by people like Abramhoff, Delay and others they most likely would not allow a CPA anywhere near an audit or a 990.

4) What bothers me is that she spent $4,905 on accounting fees and this is all she got??? The billing rate for staff CPA's in Washington with 6-10 years of experience is about $105/ hour that is about 45 hours of work a year.

What would you suggest people who have little faith that Ms. Harris is capable of honest disclosure do with this report?

Guidestar about ethics and non profits:




May trade at a profit:



Incorporating in the state in which they expect to do business:




Primary difference between non profit and for-profit corporation:



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-profit

I found this statement at the Guidestar link and thought I'd share it.

Unfortunately, nonprofits are run by people with the same range of ethical standards as the rest of society, and we have our share of bad apples.

I hope this isn't another one of many in the long list of grievances perpetrated on the American people. It's been a long, hard 6+ years...

So, if I understand your comments in item #1) correctly, she could have flown under the radar for a time by NEVER filing, until the IRS gets an employee's W-2, at which time they would look into it, and she is liable for all of the back taxes + penalties + interest?

Andy said he never got a W-2.

I think you may be wrong on one thing (oh, great, I'm arguing with a CPA??!!):

Form 941 is filed quarterly, but payroll taxes are due and must be deposited every month by a new entity. The amount of $2,500 relates to the QUARTERLY total, NOT monthly total. IF the quarterly total is less than $2,500, the payment can be sent with the form. Do I have this right?

BBV payroll taxes were obviously more than $2,500 per quarter. No penalties would be assessed IF the late amount is sent with the quarterly form AND is less than $100 or 2% of the taxes due. That is clearly not the case.

IRS publication 15, Circular E, Section 11- http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p15.pdf







Still remains that she did not pay the taxes when they were due throughout the entire year and has incurred these penalties.

Your item #3)

So 'grants' are generally given by other non-profit organizations and foundations? And we will never know who these entities are, to know they are not "non-profits controlled by people like Abramhoff, Delay..." or just who they are.

I wonder if 40% in grants is unusually high for an organization such as BBV. But hey, she could just be lying.

I am not particularly surprised at this point to see such a small amount spent on accounting, judging by what a mess the form is and being delinquent on payroll taxes, of all crazy foolish things.

I wonder if the "payroll liability" paid entirely after the fiscal year includes the penalties?

over here

600 thousand reasons...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=203&topic_id=436860&mesg_id=436860

It's ALL about integrity. It seems fairly simple, eh?:think: