Minnesota Attorney General Says Charity Is Misleading Car Donors, Misdirecting Money

The “Wheels for Wishes” advertisements seemed clear about who would get the money raised from donated vehicles, stating “Donate Your Car. Benefiting Make-A-Wish Minnesota.’’

But the wishes of kids with cancer weren’t driving the arrangement, says Minnesota’s attorney general.

Instead, Make-A-Wish charities in Minnesota and nationally received about 20 percent of the revenue from donated cars, said Minnesota Attorney General Lori Swanson at a news conference Wednesday. The bulk was kept by the nonprofit overseeing the donations, the Minnesota-based Car Donation Foundation, and two for-profit companies owned by the group’s founders, said Swanson.

She also charged the foundation with misleading advertising.