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Prosecutors in Georgia say 14 people are now facing charges after allegedly recruiting kids to sell candy and other food items under the guise of a fake children’s charity in order to raise funds for "criminal street gang activity."
The group’s fake charity, called the Georgia Peach Youth Club of America Inc., "purported to be a work and recreation program that claimed to be against gangs, gun violence, and drugs," an indictment unsealed this week says. But the money raised through its operations was instead being funneled to the Nine Trey Bloods, a subset of the Los Angeles-based United Blood Nation gang, according to Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr.
"We will charge gang members who try to exploit our children in order to further their criminal enterprise," Carr said in a statement. "We will not tolerate it, and we look forward to presenting our case in court."
Georgia Peach Youth Club is a fake charity, prosecutors allege. (Georgia Peach Youth Club FB)
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The indictment, returned by a grand jury in Cherokee County, a suburban area northwest of Atlanta where prosecutors say the children were taken to knock on doors, makes no mention of how much money the children allegedly raised through the sales.
It names 14 people on charges including human trafficking, racketeering, criminal street gang activity, charity fraud and money laundering.
The indictment describes the Georgia Peach Youth Club (GPYC) as a "registered corporation that existed in the State of Georgia" and "operated in numerous counties."
"GPYC adult supervisors recruited children from economically disadvantaged areas of Atlanta using posters, word of mouth, and a website that advertised prizes and trips for the children," it says. "These prizes and rewards were supposed to be awarded to the children for selling items such as candy and other food items."
However, the minors who "solicited donations and sales were not rewarded and given all of the prizes and trips as promised," because the accused "kept money for themselves for their own personal financial gain and promotion of the Nine Trey Bloods street gang," it adds.
Georgia's attorney general says the money raised through the charity's operations went to gang activity. (Google Maps) (Google Maps)
"These children were transported in vans to numerous counties in Georgia," the indictment also says. "Some minor children were dropped off to solicit funds for hours without adult supervision."
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The scheme, which prosecutors say originated in 2017, began to unravel when a team of investigators and attorneys with the Georgia Secretary of State’s Office — which oversees charities — discovered that children were being coerced to go door-to-door asking for donations. The agency referred the case to law enforcement officers who furthered the investigation.
"Using children to wheedle money from generous Georgians to finance gang activity is unforgivable," Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said in a statement. "I’m proud that the skills of our professional investigators sparked what became a multiagency crackdown and will mean protecting children and donors from a horrible scam."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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