[StBernard] California probes animal rescue group's use of Katrina funds

[Westley Annis]

EL DORADO HILLS, Calif. (AP) - An animal rescue group that received millions
of dollars in donations after Hurricane Katrina has shut down amid a state
investigation into how it spent the money.

Noah's Wish said it sheltered nearly 2,000 of the estimated 6,000 pets
rescued after the 2005 hurricane swamped Louisiana and Mississippi.
National stories at the time prompted $8.5 million in donations to the
organization, up from the usual $100,000 to $200,000 prior to the hurricane,
according to financial records.

The organization was founded by Terri Crisp in 2002, but the nonprofit's
board removed her as executive director on March 28. 

A notice on the organization's Web site says Noah's Wish is being
investigated by the state attorney general. The statement says the agency's
board disagrees with the state's legal interpretation that the Katrina funds
should only have been used for animal victims of Katrina, not other
disasters or general preparedness.

The attorney general's office isn't commenting, nor is an attorney
representing Noah's Wish.
Crisp said the state probe began in June, but said she is confident
investigators will find no intentional wrongdoing.

"We were unprepared on the administrative side," she said. "We were used to
getting $1,000 or less in a week. When this hit, it happened so fast. We had
days where there were 10 bins of mail."

The organization hired more employees and bought more office furniture,
vehicles, equipment and supplies to rescue and care for animals. But it
wasn't "frivolous" with the money, Crisp said.
Financial documents show Crisp was paid $140,900 after Katrina, up from the
$6,200 she earned the previous year. Crisp said her pay rose temporarily to
make up for previous years, and that she was to be paid $80,000 this year.

A June 2006 letter from the group's accountant says so much financial
information was missing after Katrina that it could not conduct a thorough
audit of that period. Several board members resigned because of poor
accounting of the organization's income and spending.