The two top executives of Wounded Warrior Project were fired Thursday by the board of directors.
Americans donate hundreds of millions of dollars each year to the charity, expecting their money will help some of the 52,000 wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan.
But CBS News found Wounded Warrior Project spends 40 to 50 percent on overhead, including extravagant parties. Other veterans charities have overhead costs of 10 to 15 percent.
Wounded Warrior Project’s Chief Executive Officer, Steven Nardizzi, and Chief Operating Officer, Al Giordano, were fired after a meeting Thursday afternoon in New York.
By appealing to America’s generosity, Wounded Warrior Project raised more than a billion dollars in donations since 2003 — $300 million in 2014 alone.
But while the money was pouring in, it was also flowing out on lavish employee conferences — $26 million in 2014.
“Let’s get a Mexican mariachi band in there, let’s get maracas made with the WWP logo put them on every staff member’s desk. Lets get it catered, have a big old party,” said Eric Millette, a retired army staff sergeant.
He took a job with Wounded Warrior as a motivational speaker, but after two years he quit.
“I’ll be damned if you’re gonna take hard-working Americans’ money and drink it and waste it, instead of helping those brave men and women who gave you the freedom to walk the face of this earth.”
More than 40 former employees told CBS News that spending by the charity was out of control. Two former employees were so fearful of retaliation they asked us not to show their faces.
“It was extremely extravagant. Dinners and alcohol and and, just total excess,” one said. “I mean, it’s what the military calls fraud waste and abuse.”
Former employees also told us the excessive spending began when Nardizzi took over as CEO in 2009. They point to the 2014 annual meeting at a luxury resort in Colorado Springs as typical of his style.
“He rappelled down the side of a building. He’s come in on a Segway. He’s come in on a horse.”
Nardizzi has defended the charity’s spending. “If your only fixation is spending the most on programs, that’s feeling good, but not necessarily doing good,” he said.
But many major donors were outraged, including Fred and Dianne Kane. They raised $325,000 with golf tournaments, and are not pleased with allegations that only a little over half of donations went to help wounded vets.
“I feel like I am representing all these people who have donated over the years, all these seniors over 65 sending $19 month, all these people on fixed incomes,” Fred said. “If no one is going to talk about this right now and it has to be me, then it has to be me.”
Fred continued, saying he is done with WWP except for his new mission of trying to see change within the organization.
Sources tell CBS News the board has received preliminary results of a financial audit. And there are discussions under way about retired senior military officers who are being considered to take over leadership of the organization.
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/wounded-warrior-project-ceo-and-coo-fired/
Perfect! Stealing from the wounded. You can’t stoop much lower than that. A slap on the wrist and restitution with assurances that it won’t happen again and, here we are, like it never happened!
26 million blown on extravagant parties in 2014 alone! What’s up with all the attendees? Come on folks, someone had to step back and question what the hell was goin’ on.
I can’t condone fraud of any kind, but…
*** “I’ll be damned if you’re gonna take hard-working Americans’ money and drink it and waste it, instead of helping those brave men and women who gave you the freedom to walk the face of this earth.” ***
They didn’t give me a damn thing except higher taxes, LESS freedom (since 9/11 at least), and a strong sense of moral disgust at the senseless misery and death the US Empire is causing around the world. They served in the standing army of the same government that has been relentlessly assaulting our freedom and privacy with technology, propaganda, and every other available means. What am I supposed to be grateful for here?
Got wounded serving the corrupt oligarchy and MIC? That’s too bad, but you only received what you were trying to dish out to someone else in his own country.
EVERY charity is just a collection of crooks stealing money from gullible citizens who write checks to feel proud of themselves for doing something.
If you want to help someone, it wouldn’t be too difficult to find someone close to you that’s not getting enough to eat. (I’m stuffing veggies down the throat of a local mother-to-be, because I’m sure she’s not getting properly nourished at home).
Charity begins at home, and people near you NEED it. Organized charities are just gangs of thieves, who stuff most of the donations into their pockets.
There’s a sucker born every day, and two to take ’em.