EXCLUSIVE DOCUMENTS: Madonna's Missing Malawi Millions -- How Singer's Charity Failed To Finance School
Posted on Mar 28, 2011 @ 06:20AM
Madonna's high-profile charitable foundation spent close to $8 million in the last two years, but failed to deliver on its mission to build a school for impoverished girls in Malawi, the organization's tax filings, obtained exclusively by RadarOnline.com, have revealed.
EXCLUSIVE DOCUMENT: Madonna's Missing Malwai Millions
Raising Malawi, Inc., a group founded by the pop star and fellow devotees of the Kabbalah movement, is in disarray after its board of directors was fired last week and replaced by an interim board, including Madonna and her manager.
The New York Times first reported how Madonna was forced to scrap construction of her school for about 400 girls near the African country's capital, Lilongwe, after $3.8 million was spent with little to show for it.
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Madonna has adopted two children from Malawi.
In a federal tax filing submitted to the IRS on November 15, last year, Raising Malawi, Inc. detailed how it paid out $3.382 million to various recipients in 2009 for expenses such as construction, operating costs and staff salaries.
One payment was for $1,736,828 for what the organization deemed "construction" on the school, even though the project never broke ground nor secured a title to build on the land where the school was slated for.
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A RadarOnline.com examination of the filing also found that close to $1 million ($852,488.00) was spent on incidental expenses, including travel, legal fees, advertising and promotion.
This included a $84,054 annual salary package for Philippe van den Bossche, who was the organization's executive director (and the the boyfriend of Madonna's former trainer Tracy Anderson) who stepped down last October after auditors blasted the charity's excessive expenditures.
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Van den Bossche made $94,643 in 2008, according to the organization's 2008 filing, which was also obtained exclusively by RadarOnline.com.
Madonna has promised that the millions Raising Malawi, Inc. has already brought together -- much of it through Hollywood fund-raising -- will still go toward unnamed charitable efforts in Malawi.
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However, eight workers are now suing the pop star for unfair dismissal and non-payment of their benefits, their lawyer revealed on Sunday.
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The Daily Juice
Every cent should have been put through the ringer. Get a hippy on board who is willing to work for 20k/year r free like most of us already do.
Posted Mon, 03/28/2011 - 4:07pm
fraud even happened with oprah's group. These countries are third world. They don't understand these concepts. Madonna effed up. Actually her heart was correct but she chose the wrong POS to be in charge. U need to keep a tight reign
Posted Mon, 03/28/2011 - 4:07pm
This is just great. She's sued for trying to help these people. Is it her fault these African countries are riddled with corruption and fraud?
Posted Mon, 03/28/2011 - 10:08am
The money never even got to Africa. It was used by her organization. They never even broke ground on the school!
Posted Mon, 03/28/2011 - 12:10pm
Madonna should go to jail for fraud. All to pay her bills and promote her burned out career. Shame on you Madonna and your fake charity. IRS needs to audit this group. ASAP!
Posted Mon, 03/28/2011 - 8:19am
Hollywood's house of cards is tumbling; drug problems, abuse issues, mental issues, tax evasion and now charitable scams. Who would guess a group of self absorbed narcissists would have these kinds of issues....(sarcasm)
Posted Mon, 03/28/2011 - 7:13am