Veterans Memorial Foundation Mired in Debt

The Disabled Veterans LIFE Memorial Foundation, an Arlington, Va., nonprofit organization seeking $65-million to build a monument in Washington to honor disabled veterans, has accumulated big debts, The Palm Beach Post reports.

The organization has more than $2-million in unpaid bills and has drawn criticism from nonprofit watchdog groups.

Lois Pope, the widow of the founder of the National Enquirer, Generoso Pope Jr., established the charity and has donated money to it from her personal foundation. Informational tax returns show she has given $3.5-million to the memorial group since 2001.

Even so, “their finances are out of whack, and it appears they are not adhering to their mission,” said Sandra Miniutti, a spokeswoman for Charity Navigator, a watchdog group.

Lois Pope’s lawyer, Bob Montgomery, told the newspaper that charges of mismanagement are “baseless.”

(Read The Chronicle’s profile of Ms. Pope. A paid subscription or short-term pass is required.)