During a July 26 appearance before Superior Court Judge Steven Taylor at Morris County Courthouse, John Dunlea was also ordered to restore the stolen funds. He must also pay $20,000 in restitution to the state.
At the time, prosecutors said they’d seek a five-year prison term and restitution to the firm. In entering his plea May 8, Dunlea admitted to:
Misappropriating $1.54 million from the firm. The total includes $1.18 million in authorized excess compensation and $355,256 in personal credit card charges from airline flights, hotels and restaurant outings for himself and his family.
Evading $22,586 in state income taxes for tax years 2018 to 2022 for income derived from the credit card scheme.
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Among its many sweeping calls for change in American government, a conservative platform document known as Project 2025 urges the demolition of some of the nation’s most dependable resources for tracking weather, combating climate change and protecting the public from environmental hazards.
“Break up NOAA,” the document says, referring to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and its six main offices, including the 154-year-old National Weather Service.
“Together, these form a colossal operation that has become one of the main drivers of the climate change alarm industry and, as such, is harmful to future U.S. prosperity,” the document says.
The call to dismantle a vital federal department has raised the hackles of experts who say NOAA provides not only important free data, such as weather forecasts and satellite observations, but also life-saving information about hurricanes, heat waves, atmospheric rivers and other extreme events — many of which have been shown, through myriad studies, to be worsening due to global warming.
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In a presidential election year, tax-exempt organizations may consider becoming more active in the political process. For example, there are nonprofits that regularly engage in neutral, non-partisan voter registration and get-out-the-vote drives. Others might go a step further and view campaign season as an opportunity to raise public awareness of an issue of particular interest to the organization or to influence the passage of related legislation. When such increased political activity crosses into an attempt by the organization to elect a candidate or slate of candidates based on their position on the issues, the result could have negative tax consequences.
Under Internal Revenue Code section 501(c)(3), a nonprofit organization may not qualify for tax exempt status unless it not only meets the requirement of operating for an exempt purpose, but also refrains from participating or intervening in “any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for public office.” Campaign regulations clarify that a 501(c)(3) making any written or oral statements for or against a candidate for public office, including the rating of candidates on a non-partisan basis, constitutes political campaigning and is prohibited. The prohibition on participation in campaign activities is absolute, and 501(c)(3) organizations must use caution not to wander into questionable activities that might put their tax exempt status at risk.
William S. Speros
Nonprofits often participate in political activities without displaying partisanship or explicitly endorsing a particular candidate. In such circumstances, steering clear of risk can still prove difficult. There is no bright-line test for determining if the 501(c)(3) participated or intervened in a political campaign, and all facts and circumstances must be considered to determine whether the organization engaged in some reasonably overt communication that supports or opposes a political candidate. Even educational organizations can inadvertently cross the line if their communication drifts toward advocacy, such as presenting conclusions unsupported by facts or based on opinions rather than objective evaluations.
When a nonprofit supports or opposes an initiative or referendum, such activity is typically considered to be lobbying rather than prohibited political campaign activity. A 501(c)(3) organization is permitted to engage in limited lobbying activity, but risks tax implications if a substantial part of its activities amount to attempting to influence legislation. This limitation is less restrictive for nonprofit organizations described in other subsections of IRC 501(c), such as subsection (c)(4) for social welfare organizations, (c)(5) for agricultural organizations or unions, or (c)(6) for business leagues and trade boards. These organizations can generally engage in lobbying in support of their exempt purpose provided they stop short of promoting or opposing candidates for office.
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After a decade of living with spotted lanternfly in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware, some things are better than we feared, and some are worse. But all that stomping helped
What you should know
Spotted lanternfly is a sap-sucking planthopper that harms native trees, shrubs, and plants. Local officials and scientists encourage residents to kill the insect on sight.
While lanternflies aren’t as destructive to hard wood trees (used for timber) as previously expected, they are devastating to Pa.’s billion-dollar grape and wine industry.
Inspect a property for signs of lanternfly, squash the bug whenever seen, and call specialists if trees and plants begin to show signs of lanternfly activity.
In this Thursday, Sept. 19, 2019, photo, Heather Leach, an entomologist who does lanternfly outreach at Penn State Extension inspects grape vines in Kutztown, Pa.Matt Rourke / AP
According to Brian Walsh, a Penn State lanternfly researcher, these concerns stemmed from the fact that the lanternfly had zero natural predators in the U.S., their affinity for fruit and timber trees could jeopardize billions of dollars in economic activity, and they could easily spread by hitching a ride on cargo and vehicles.
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Wildfires spread across Northern California and western Canada on Thursday, leaving officials issuing evacuation orders, sending tens of thousands of firefighters to combat the blazes and broadcasting air quality warnings as smoke-filled air moved across the United States.
The Park fire in Northern California, which has burned more than 71,400 acres, is the largest there so far this year, after it ballooned overnight.
Officials in Northern California said on Thursday that they had arrested a 42-year-old man who was believed to have pushed a car on fire into a gully in Chico, Calif. The car was sent careening down a 60-foot embankment, sparking the Park fire, officials said. The man, who was not named, was being held in the Butte County Jail, and he was expected to be arraigned on Monday, the Butte County District Attorney’s office said in a statement.
The Park fire was one of hundreds burning in the western United States and western Canada, creating smoky skies that reached all the way to the East Coast. In Northern California, the authorities issued evacuation orders for parts of Tehama County and Butte County, where the Park fire had started on Wednesday in Bidwell Park, a large recreational area with hiking and biking trails and swimming holes, in the city of Chico. The fire swelled in the early morning hours on Thursday and was 3 percent contained.
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