Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell announced on Mar. 30 that a court has permanently barred Sean D. Murphy and Rikkile Brown, along with their companies Political Petitioning of MA, LLC (PPMA) and Help Homeless Vets, Inc. (HHV), from soliciting or collecting charitable donations in the state. The order follows findings that they violated Massachusetts’s charitable solicitations laws by using deceptive methods to collect donations intended for veterans but misused much of the money for personal gain.
The case highlights concerns about transparency and accountability in charitable fundraising, especially when donations are meant to support vulnerable groups such as veterans.
According to the Attorney General’s Office (AGO), Murphy and PPMA recruited veterans to sit outside supermarkets across Massachusetts under the pretense of gathering signatures for a petition supporting homeless veterans. Instead, these efforts were primarily used to collect cash donations from shoppers who were told their contributions would benefit charities supporting veterans. When questions arose about where the funds were going, Murphy and Brown created HHV—a public charity they controlled—to continue their activities.
The AGO alleged that out of thousands of dollars collected through these efforts, only about $343 was actually donated to legitimate veterans’ charities. In March 2023, a preliminary injunction was secured against the defendants preventing further collection of donations while litigation continued. The Suffolk Superior Court has now issued an order requiring Murphy and Brown to dissolve both PPMA and HHV as part of its judgment.
Assistant Attorney General Argie Kosmetatos Shapiro led this matter with support from Division Chief Jonathan Green and Assistant Attorney General Eric Carriker within the AGO’s Non-Profit Organizations/Public Charities Division. This division oversees more than 25,000 public charities operating in Massachusetts by ensuring proper use of assets, investigating misconduct allegations, enforcing registration requirements for fundraisers, prosecuting solicitation fraud cases, and promoting transparency through published reports.
“When residents donate their hard-earned money to charitable organizations, they deserve to know that their contributions are going toward the causes they believe in. By misappropriating donations meant to support veterans, Sean Murphy and Rikkile Brown exploited the compassion of our residents and shamelessly disrespected those who serve our country,” said AG Campbell. “This victory puts scammers on notice that my office will not tolerate scams that prey on consumers or veterans.”
