Under the radar

Is the U.S. Navy Veterans a helpful charity or an illusion? Try finding the leaders and following the money.

The Ybor duplex: Thompson lived in the left side. The right side doubled as offices for the nonprofit Navy Veterans Association and for NAVPAC, a political action committee. After the Times started asking questions, the PAC shut down and Thompson cleared out. His landlord said he left no forwarding address.

The man behind the charity: In documents filed with the IRS, the U.S. Navy Veterans Association included the names of 85 directors and officers. For six months the St. Petersburg Times searched for all of them but could find only one: Bobby Thompson.

The national headquarters: "Suite 275" is a mailbox at a UPS store in Washington D.C.

• Navy Vets charity officials scrambled under scrutiny, documents show (September 4, 2011)
• As Navy Veterans charity was being exposed as fake, there was a face that was real (August 11, 2011)
• As the Navy Vets probe widens, Ohio prosecutors get first guilty plea (June 22, 2011)
• Minnesota fines fugitive founder of Tampa-based Navy vets fake charity (June 2, 2011)
• 'America's Most Wanted' looks at case of Navy Veterans' head 'Bobby Thompson' (March 18, 2011)
• Navy Vets leader made an unchecked rise into elite circles (Dec. 27, 2010)
• Navy Veterans former lawyer: 'I was duped' (Dec. 5, 2010)
• In 2008, IRS audited Navy Veterans and gave the phony charity a clean bill of health (Nov. 18, 2010)
• Tax Returns: 2008 | 2009
• Navy Veterans likely used phony names to send cash to political campaigns (Nov. 8, 2010)
• Ohio indicts leader of Tampa-based Navy Veterans charity (Oct. 15, 2010)
• Ohio attorney general issues arrest warrant for Navy Vets founder; says he stole another man's identity (Aug. 5, 2010)
• Federal agents seize Navy Veterans Association records (July 28, 2010)
• Navy Veterans loses its attorneys and its fundraisers (July 15, 2010)
• Florida orders charity: cease operations now (June 23, 2010)
• Florida to Navy Veterans: Cease and desist or see you in court (June 16, 2010)
• The complaint (PDF) (June 16, 2010)
• Navy Veterans Association takes credit for letters to troops from children at Catholic school (June 16, 2010)
• Navy Veterans charity lifts service members' thank-you letters from other organizations (June 9, 2010)
• Senator to IRS: Investigate the U.S. Navy Veterans Association (May 28, 2010)
• Nonprofit under investigation wins registration exemption in Virginia (May 22, 2010)
• Stand-ins posed as members of Navy Veterans Association (May 16, 2010)
• U.S. Navy Veterans Association being investigated after it claims officer is not fictional (May 6, 2010)
• Navy veterans group takes out newspaper ad, says it's legit (April 23, 2010)
• Fla. officials investigating charity
  (April 7, 2010)
• New Mexico tells Navy Veterans Association: Cease and desist
  (April 6, 2010)
• New Mexico Attorney General's letter (PDF)
• Missing persons: Of 85 U.S. Navy Veterans Association officials, we found just one (April 6, 2010)
• Money and politics
  Bobby Thompson mixed his nonprofit with his personal politics, which are passionately held and backed with cash. (March 22, 2010)
• Dear Sen. Miller
  Les Miller says the charity's message was clear: Drop out of the Hillsborough County Commission race.
• 'News to me'
  Records lead to a California professor and a phantom voter in Hillsborough County.
• Political contributions by Bobby C. Thompson (PDF) (Updated Nov. 4, 2010)
• NAVPAC contributions (PDF)
• Letter to Les Miller (PDF)
• Under the radar
  Is the U.S. Navy Veterans a helpful charity or an illusion? Try finding the leaders and following the money. (March 21, 2010)
• About the USNVA
  Many names, many claims ... many dead ends.
• Letters: The U.S. Navy Veterans Association responds
  Answering questions from the St. Petersburg Times, the group sent hundreds of pages of e-mails that veered into attacks on the reporter, the newspaper and the nonprofit that owns it, the Poynter Institute. Here are nine key responses.

• Charities need better policing (Dec. 28, 2010)
• Florida must step up to clean up Navy Veterans mess (Nov. 9, 2010)
• Bring so-called charity to account (June 18, 2010)
• Florida moves too slowly on dubious charity ( June 13, 2010)
• Veterans Affairs Department must keep closer eye on purported charities (May 21, 2010)
• Public confidence in charitable giving at stake (May 10, 2010)
• Florida should take lead in investigating charity (April 8, 2010)
• Expand regulation of nonprofit charities (March 22, 2010)