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When Reveal disclosed that the U.S. government had allocated at least $133 million to a charity linked to an alleged cult, the USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service maintained that it had no indication the money was misused. But records withheld by the agency until Reveal sued for them show otherwise.
Charity watchdog groups say the organization tricks the public into making clothing donations that do little to fund charitable programs.
The U.S. government has been warned repeatedly about the charity Planet Aid and its ties to Mogens Amdi Petersen, an international fugitive and alleged cult leader. Again and again, those warnings have been overlooked.
Understanding the USDA’s funding for the charity Planet Aid requires a tour through one of the more byzantine relief programs in the world.
In this week’s episode, Reveal goes to Malawi to find out why the U.S. government continued to give grant money to a charitable organization that it knew was linked to an international fugitive.