One thing us Slabbers learned in the aftermath of Katrina is the astonishing number of various and sundry grifters, scammers, fraudsters and old fashioned crooks that blow into town after a major storm, or, in the case of Dollar Bill Jefferson ramp up the family crime ring to include skimming post Hurricane charity.
But we’ve also been blessed with a much larger group of people in the multitude of volunteers that came here from every corner of the country and others like my fellow Mississippian Nowdy, who was asked to come here and who answered the call staying several months in Katrina ground zero away from her family.
This topic has been forced on us today because the scammers that set up and ran Camp Coastal are in the news and it makes my stomach turn. Not only did they fail people in need here at Ground Zero they fleeced the people who opened their hearts and wallets to help the less fortunate who lost to Katrina’s wind and waves. We can only hope a lengthy trip to the Graybar Hotel is in their future. WLOX has the story:
WLOX News began getting complaints about Camp Coastal in Hancock County early this year. As Action Reporter A.J. Giardina investigated the claims, he found the Secretary of State, which regulates Mississippi charities, was also checking into claims that Camp Coastal’s directors were using some of the millions donated to rebuild homes for large salaries and expensive trips. In an exclusive interview, the Secretary of State told A.J. that Camp Coastal is out of business and the search is on for the missing money. Continue reading “Camp Coastal Crooks Mike Sweeney & Sandy Molenhouse: Welcome to Slabbed”