Thursday, November 14, 2024

Madonna’s Kabbalah Charity Admits to Cayman Island Accounts

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Spirituality for Kids, Madonna’s Kabbalah charity, now known as Success for Kids, is a different sort of religion. Remember last time we checked their Form 990 federal tax filing, they said they were putting in special word for “whistleblowers.” Then they kicked out Phillippe van den Bossche, who ran that group and their Raising Malawi, and threw him under the bus. Now in their 2009 filing, which only became public in December 2010, there’s a hilarious notation. It’s in Part V (Five), number 4a. The question: “At any time during the calendar year,did the organization have an interest in, or a signature or other authority over, a financial account in a foreign country?” The ‘no’ box is checked off, but on a line that reads “If yes, enter the name of the country”– the words: “Cayman Islands” are written in.

I mean, really, come on. I’ve been reporting on various charities and foundations for more than a dozen years, and I’ve never seen those words before on a Form 990. Of course the Cayman Islands are the place where money is generally stashed outside the purview of the IRS and US government.

In 2009, Madonna gave SFK/Kabbalah Centre/Raising Malawi $2.5 million.

Meanwhile: Madonna’s long time publicist issued a statement yesterday that Madonna is not under investigation by the FBI or IRS, and neither is Success for Kids or Raising Malawi. But let’s read that statement. Not mentioned is a grand jury. I told you that two people have told me they’ve been subpoenaed by a grand jury in Manhattan regarding Raising Malawi and its finances. I will stick with that story. The grand jury is very interested in SFK, now called Success for Kids, and formerly known as Spirituality for Kids. Grand juries meet in secret, and they can take a long time to interview everyone involved. All these Kabbalah Centre related groups have financial issues. Someone is going to have answer the questions about where all the money raised for Raising Malawi’s unbuilt school went–it didn’t just evaporate. And Raising Malawi is a registered charity in the United States of America, not Malawi.

Roger Friedman
Roger Friedmanhttps://www.showbiz411.com
Roger Friedman began his Showbiz411 column in April 2009 after 10 years with Fox News, where he created the Fox411 column. His movie reviews are carried by Rotten Tomatoes, and he is a member of both the movie and TV branches of the Critics Choice Awards. His articles have appeared in dozens of publications over the years including New York Magazine, where he wrote the Intelligencer column in the mid 90s and covered the OJ Simpson trial, and Fox News (when it wasn't so crazy) where he covered Michael Jackson. He is also the writer and co-producer of "Only the Strong Survive," a selection of the Cannes, Sundance, and Telluride Film festivals, directed by DA Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus.

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