Washington, D.C. - On Tuesday, July 15, 2008, federal agents searched the office of a Portland charity that sponsors poor children in Iran, Indonesia, Iraq, Afghanistan, and the United States.
Founded in 1994, the Child Foundation is an international charity that helps children living in poverty remain in school. On its website, the organization states that it believes education can help a child move beyond the stigma of poverty, and give that child the tools to reach his or her true and full potential.
According to media reports, half a dozen federal agents conducted a court-authorized search warrant of the charity’s office in Portland, Oregon, seizing the foundation’s computers and hauling off boxes of documents. Reports indicate that federal agents also searched the home of Child Foundation’s founder and president. Federal prosecutors have yet to comment on the pending investigation.
Tax records indicate that the Child Foundation took in more then $1.6 million in contributions last year. According to the foundation, majority of funds are used to provide food, clothing, medical assistance, and informational material for children in Iran and elsewhere.
Among one of the better-known Iranian American charities, the Child Foundation has been featured on U.S. government’s broadcast service Voice of America and is certified by the Independent Charities of America. On its website, the Child Foundation states that it is very careful to follow the rules and guidelines mandated by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the U.S. Department of Treasury. The foundation’s programs have been endorsed by the United Nations and its annual and fiscal reports are available to the general public.
As a bipartisan, non-sectarian, national membership organization, PAAIA seeks to represent the domestic interests of the Iranian American community. Because this matter is of interest and potential concern to Iranian Americans, PAAIA will continue to monitor the situation and update its members and the community at large of any new developments.
Click here to learn more about the Child Foundation.
