Government & Regulation

A two-term state senator admitted in federal court Thursday that he stole $1.8 million from the nonprofit agency where he worked and filed a false tax return. Sen. Rick Brinkley, 54, admitted wrongdoing on all six charges—five counts of wire fraud and one count of subscribing to a false tax return. He negotiated a plea…

The American Red Cross, which has often boasted of its transparency, attempted to halt a congressional inquiry into its disaster relief work last year, according to a private letter Gail McGovern, CEO of the American Red Cross, wrote to Rep. Bennie Thompson. In the letter, McGovern asked Thompson, a Democrat from Mississippi and the ranking…

Should charitable fundraising be allowed at work? The popular "Fill the Boot" fundraiser has sparked this debate in Texarkana, Texas. The city manager has placed restrictions on firefighters participating in the event that raises funds for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. He says it creates a safety hazard on roadways, and it should be done off-duty…

Daniel Maher, a program director for the Ecology Center, a Berkeley, California-based nonprofit, is being held by U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement (ICE) and could be deported, reports the Daily Californian. Maher was born in China and lived there for three years before moving to the U.S. He served seven years in prison for involvement in a robbery when he was 20 years old—more than two decades ago...

As presidential candidates find new ways to exploit secret donations from tax-exempt groups, hobbled regulators at the Internal Revenue Service appear certain to delay trying to curb widespread abuses at nonprofits until after the 2016 election. In a shift from past elections, at least eight Republican presidential candidates, including leading contenders like Jeb Bush and…

British charities faced pressure from the government on Tuesday to voluntarily change the way they raise funds following a barrage of complaints about the public being bombarded with appeals for money. Calls for charities to stop inundating people with donation requests via mail, email and telephone calls followed the suicide of 92-year-old Olive Cooke last…