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The United States Navy Veterans Association (USNVA) was a tax-exempt veterans' organization that claimed to have a national headquarters in Washington, D.C. It claimed that its purpose was to support the U.S. Navy, and to assist veterans and members of the U.S. Armed Forces, and their families. The Association claimed to be a national organization with 43 U.S. chapters and over 66,000 members. USNVA was the subject of a 2010 investigative report by the ''St. Petersburg Times'', which concluded that the USNVA was a one-man operation fraudulently soliciting money as a veterans' charity.〔〔 The ''Times'' investigation ultimately resulted in criminal and administrative investigations in several states and the removal of USNVA's listing from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs website. The organization's national headquarters in Washington DC proved to be a rented post office box, rather than an actual physical office location. USNVA operations ceased and, after a two-year search, the leader, John Donald Cody, was arrested on 30 April 2012 in Portland, Oregon. Cody had run the organization under the alias "Bobby Thompson", and authorities were at first unable to determine his real name. However, on 1 October 2012, it was announced that Cody's identity had been determined using fingerprint records.〔http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2012/10/identity_of_accused_fraudster.html#incart_river_default|title= Identity of accused fraudster captured in Portland as 'Bobby Thompson' finally revealed|accessdate= 1 October 2012〕 In late 2013, Cody was convicted of charges including theft, money laundering, engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity, tampering with records, and identity fraud; and sentenced to 28 years in prison. ==Organization overview== The USNVA was a tax-exempt organization headquartered in Washington, D.C. It received tax-exempt status from the IRS as a 501(c)(19) veterans' organization. USNVA claimed to be the current form of charitable groups that date back to 1927, although the USNVA itself first filed with the Internal Revenue Service in 2002. The Association claimed 66,000 members. The Association's stated mission, in summary, was to: Support the U.S. Navy; provide assistance to war veterans, members of the U.S. Armed Forces, and their families; and "the support of legislative action to provide to our service personnel, veterans, and their dependents, widows and orphans, the remuneration and benefits they truly deserve." According to the Association's website, there were 41 state Chapters, along with Chapters in Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico and Divisions in Panama and the Philippines. However, the New Mexico Attorney General claims that the addresses given for the New Mexico chapter are for vacant lots.〔 The USNVA website listed the MacMurray, Petersen & Shuster LLP law firm in New Albany, Ohio as its General Counsel; Legislative Associates, Inc. of Stillwater, Minnesota as its Legislative and Public Policy Counsel, and Rubin & Associates, P.A. of St. Petersburg, Florida as its Special Counsel.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=left column )〕 It also hired additional lobbyists to gain the right to solicit in Virginia. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「United States Navy Veterans Association」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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