JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) - A Puerto Rican charity has agreed to transfer about $9,000 to the Missouri attorney general's office to resolve a lawsuit over its fundraising efforts for victims of the Joplin tornado.
Attorney General Chris Koster says a consent order issued Wednesday by a Jasper County judge ensures that money raised by Alivio Foundation Inc. will make it to victims of the May 22 tornado. The foundation had solicited donations online to aid Joplin tornado victims through Catholic Charities of Southern Missouri and local churches.
The court order says that was the intent of the charity but also notes the Missouri religious organizations had no relationship with Alivio Foundation.
The judge directed Koster's office to pass the money onto Catholic Charities and St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Marshfield to aid tornado victims.