MomProm Fails to Fund Nonprofit

Billed as a fundraiser for the Jewish Fertility Foundation, the MomProm on Nov. 4, 2017, looked like it would be a night of fancy fun for a fantastic foundation. To this day, however, the charity has yet to see a penny of the proceeds, according to JFF Executive Director Elana Frank.

Figures on the net proceeds from the event, organized by Nicole Wiesen of Jewish Moms of Atlanta, differ with each telling, from as little as $68 to as much as $15,000, according to a cease and desist letter from Secretary of State Brian Kemp’s office on July 31, 2018. The letter was directed to Wiesel and her company, Jewish Women Incorporated, operating as Jewish Moms of Atlanta.

Findings from the investigation of the secretary of state’s office indicated that Wiesel misled donors into making checks out to JMOA rather than to the JFF and told those donors that such contributions would be tax-deductible. The donations were not deductible, however, because JWI, unlike JFF, is not a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, a fact Wiesel was warned about on multiple occasions.

While a check was made out to JFF for $4,503 on Nov. 17, 2017, the check was returned because of insufficient funds in JMOA’s business account, and previously advertised $5,000 contributions from private businesses were nowhere to be found. Wiesel explained that the check was reissued, but, according to the cease and desist letter, the reissued check was never received.

In addition to JFF, the caterer of the event, For All Occasions and More, was not paid on time. Owner Jodie Sturgeon explained at the time that she had received $2,000 of the $5,100 for the event and her attorney had received an additional $777.32. But in a recent follow-up conversation, she said she received full payment by the end of February.

Wiesen has twice pled guilty to fraudulent activities, first in 2010, when she pled guilty to theft by conversion in Fulton County, and then in 2015 in Gwinnett County for identity theft. She received one year of probation for the first charge, and five years of probation for the second, a felony.

The AJT obtained what appeared to be a forged Internal Revenue Service letter dated Aug. 31, 2016, declaring that JMOA is a 501(c)(3). But a concerned community member contacted the IRS about the organization’s status and received a letter clearly stating that it was not a nonprofit.

The cease and desist letter directed that JWI/JMOA stop all illegal activity relating to its false representation of itself as a charitable organization in accordance with the Georgia Charitable Solicitations Act of 1988.

JWI is still listed as an active corporation, according to the secretary of state’s database. The status of any other legal proceedings involving JWI or any individuals associated with the organization remains unclear.

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