Judge Orders Closure of N.J. Animal Group

A New Jersey state judge has ordered the closure of the National Animal Welfare Foundation’s operations in the state and has demanded that its director, Patrick Jemas, pay $330,804 in penalties and fees, reports The Star-Ledger. The order also bars Mr. Jemas from future charity work, and requires that he help state officials locate and seize the group’s yellow coin canisters, which bear photos of abused pets and had been placed in hundreds of businesses across New Jersey. The order only applies to the charity’s New Jersey arm.

In February the state’s Division of Consumer Affairs filed a lawsuit claiming that the organization and Mr. Jemas were bilking the public because no money was going toward caring for animals. State authorities estimate that Mr. Jemas was taking in tens of thousands of dollars a year, although his group’s financial statements reported that he collected only a few thousand dollars and operated at a loss after expenses were covered.

Mr. Jemas did not comment in the newspaper article.