Philando Castille died at the hands of police in 2016 during a traffic stop. Following his death, many throughout the state attempted to impact the community in his name; however, one college professor is accused of misspending donations she collected to honor him.
Pamela Fergus, who started Philando Feeds the Children, collected donations for students with unpaid lunch debt in Saint Paul Public Schools. As a result, Fergus collected approximately $200,000 for the cause, which was initially an in-class service project for the undergraduate class she taught.
Now Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison has announced his office is filing an enforcement action against Furgus, who they allege did not use the money received for its intended purpose.
Ellison’s office showed that of the approximately $200,000 raised, only $80,000 was donated to Saint Paul Public Schools to relieve student lunch debt. This leaves $120,000 of the money collected by Fergus unaccounted for.
Castille’s mother has even spoken out on the issue, with Fergus currently unable to provide where the missing funds have gone.
“When you run a campaign or event to honor or support a charity or cause you are passionate about, please direct those funds in the appropriate manner,” Valerie Castile, the mother of Philando Castile, said. “Donors in their generosity expect your honesty and commitment.”
The charity started by Fergus is regulated by the Attorney General’s office, as it is the chief regulator of all charities in Minnesota. Under Minnesota state law, all charities must register with Ellison’s office and spend the funds received for their charitable purpose, with the sole exception of Justifiable administrative expenses.
Fergus has attempted to work with the Attorney General’s office to account for the $120,000 that remains unaccounted for; as a last resort, Ellison’s office filed the enforcement action on June 4.
“Minnesotans are generous people with good intentions: whether they’re raising money for a good cause or donating to a good cause, they just want others to be able to live with the same dignity and respect that they want for themselves,” Attorney General Ellison said in a press conference. “Unfortunately, sometimes fundraisers take advantage of generous Minnesotans’ good intentions and do not spend or properly account for the money they raise for ostensibly charitable purposes. In this instance, someone who raised money in the name of Philando Castile, supposedly to relieve student lunch debt for school children in Saint Paul to honor Mr. Castile, is unable or unwilling to account properly for all the money she raised.
“Philando Castile cared deeply about the children he served, and the children loved him back. Raising money supposedly to serve those children, then not doing so, is an insult to Philando’s legacy and all who loved him. After attempting for more than a year to work with Ms. Fergus to account for the missing money but being continually rebuffed, my office filed this enforcement action today as a last resort. We never want to have to get to this point, but as the chief regulator of charities in Minnesota, I will use all the tools at my disposal to ensure that dollars raised for charitable purposes go only to those purposes — because that money belongs to the public, not to the people who raise it,” Attorney General Ellison added.