AUSTIN (KXAN) – The Office of Attorney General Ken Paxton announced he was “taking action” Monday investigating an “unverified GoFundMe campaign” raising money for Independence Day flood relief. Meanwhile, the donation organizer told KXAN there was “absolutely” no scam and denied any wrongdoing.
Paxton’s office issued a warning letter to Tray Coppola, of Austin, as part of the OAG’s efforts to “shut down scammers seeking to take advantage of those impacted by Texas’s tragic floods,” according to a Monday news release.
“Mr. Coppola operated a GoFundMe campaign that did not appear as one of GoFundMe’s verified flood-related fundraisers and provided information regarding how the funds would be disbursed in a way that could be misleading to some contributors—leading to this investigation and the letter being sent,” a spokesperson for Paxton’s office told KXAN by email.
MAP: Where have flash flooding deaths been confirmed in Texas?
The warning letter asks Coppola to preserve documents and evidence, cease his campaign and return donations. Paxton’s office would use all legal remedies – civil penalties, restitution and court-ordered injunctions – to get compliance, the press release states…