HARRISBURG – An Arizona charity has been sued by the Attorney General’s Charitable Trusts and Organization Section after the company continued to illegally solicit donations from Pennsylvanians following a 2010 consent agreement.
Attorney General Linda Kelly identified the defendant as the Mary Schanz Foundation, also known as Ironwood Pig Sanctuary, 301 W. Spring Valley Place, Tucson, AZ. The Ironwood Pig Sanctuary was established to provide care and shelter for potbellied pigs awaiting adoption.
According to the lawsuit, Ironwood Pig Sanctuary allegedly was unregistered with the Pennsylvania Department of State since 2005. The state Charities Act mandates that charitable organizations must register with the Pennsylvania Department of State prior to soliciting donations and contributions from Pennsylvanians.
Kelly said that in June 2010 the Pennsylvania Department of State entered a consent agreement with Ironwood Pig Sanctuary that required the defendant to pay a fine and register as a charitable organization in Pennsylvania.
The lawsuit states that Ironwood Pig Sanctuary paid the fine listed in the consent agreement, but failed to register with the Department of State and continued to solicit charitable donations from Pennsylvania residents in violation of a cease and desist order from the Secretary of State.
Additionally, Kelly said that Ironwood Pig Sanctuary allegedly failed to make certain disclosures to donors as required by law.
The lawsuit seeks an account of all funds raised while the Sanctuary was not registered, fines for solicitations that violated the Charities Act, costs and restitution.
The case was handled by Michael Foerster of the Attorney General’s Charitable Trusts and Organizations Section.