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{{Infobox company
| name = Gandhi Memorial International Foundation
| logo =
| type = [[Non-profit]]
| genre =
| foundation = Yogesh K. Gandhi
| founder =
| location_city =
| location_country =
| location = [[Orinda, California]]
| key_people =
| area_served =
| industry =
| products = Mahatma Gandhi Humanitarian Award
| services =
| revenue =
| operating_income =
| net_income =
| num_employees =
| parent =
| divisions =
| subsid =
| owner =
| homepage =
| dissolved = 1999<ref name="pleadsguilty" />
| footnotes =
}}
'''Gandhi Memorial International Foundation''', also known as the '''Mahatma Gandhi International Foundation''', was a controversial [[non-profit organization]] run by Yogesh K. Gandhi, born Yogesh Kathari,<ref name="investigation">"Investigation of Illegal or Improper Activities in Connection with 1996 Federal Election Campaigns", [[105th Congress]], 2nd Session, [[United States Senate]] Report 105-167 Part 5, 105 S. Rpt. 167; Prt. 5, March 10, 1998. [https://www.senate.gov/comm/governmental_affairs/general/21chap.pdf hosted at www.senate.gov], See also: [https://www.senate.gov/~govt-aff/11.pdf The Contribution of Yogesh Gandhi].</ref> who claims to be related to [[Mahatma Gandhi]].<ref name="cbsnews">{{cite news | last = Cole | first = Richard |author2=Michael J. Sniffin | title = Feds Add Fraud To Gandhi's Woes | work = [[CBS News]] | agency = [[Associated Press]] | year = 1998 |publisher=[[CBS]] | url = http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/1998/03/05/national/main4299.shtml?CMP=ILC-SearchStories }}</ref> However, an immediate descendant of Mahatma Gandhi, publicly stated that Yogesh K. Gandhi was a "scam artist", and "interested primarily in enriching himself."<ref name="investigation" /> Yogesh Gandhi described the organization as dedicated to "social betterment through nonviolence."<ref name="nytimes1984">{{cite news | last = Kennedy | first = Shawn G. | title = Postings; Gandhi Foundation | work = [[The New York Times]] | date = October 28, 1984}}
</ref> The organization gave out the "'''Mahatma Gandhi Humanitarian Award'''".<ref name="dumaine" /><ref name="statue" />

The organization's business dealings were investigated by the [[United States Senate]], in March 1998.<ref name="investigation" /> ''[[Mother Jones (magazine)|Mother Jones]]'' referred to the organization as: "a shadowy non-profit enterprise devoted in principle to 'promoting the philosophy of non-violence'."<ref name="motherjones">{{cite news | last = Hammond | first = Keith |author2=Laurel Druley | title = Returned to Spender: When the DNC sent back their colossal contributions, these donors dropped off the MoJo 400 list | work = [[Mother Jones (magazine)|Mother Jones]] | publisher =www.motherjones.com | date = April 17, 1997 | url = https://www.motherjones.com/news/special_reports/coinop_congress/97mojo_400/returned.html }}</ref> On March 8, 1999, Yogesh Gandhi was charged by the [[United States Department of Justice]] with "[[tax evasion]], [[mail fraud|mail]] and [[wire fraud]] and [[perjury]]" for dealings related to the Gandhi Memorial International Foundation.<ref name="doj">[http://www.usdoj.gov/opa/pr/1999/March/082crm.htm Yogesh Gandhi Charged with Tax Evasion, Mail and Wire Fraud and Perjury], Press Release, [[United States Department of Justice]], March 8, 1999</ref> He had previously been indicted by the Justice Department's Campaign Financing Task Force in August 1998.<ref name="doj" /> In 1999, Yogesh Gandhi entered a guilty plea to the charges of mail fraud, tax evasion and violating federal election law over his contributions involving the Gandhi Memorial International Foundation and the [[Democratic National Committee]] in 1996.<ref>{{cite news | last = Kurian | first = Rupa | title = Sentencing Date for Yogesh Gandhi Set; Could Serve A Year In Prison And Deported to India | work = Rediff | publisher = Rediff India | date = July 1999 | url = http://www.rediff.com/news/1999/jul/01us3.htm }}</ref> The Foundation was reported to have ceased its activities in 1999.<ref name="pleadsguilty">{{cite news|title=Local Man Pleads Guilty in Demo Finance Flap|work=[[San Ramon Valley Times]]|date=June 26, 1999|publisher=[[MediaNews Group]]|location=[[Walnut Creek, California]]}}</ref>

==Gives out "awards"==
[[Image:1998 Senate investigation Yogesh Gandhi.gif|thumb|right|250px|Excerpt, United States Senate Investigation, "Yogesh Gandhi", 1998.]]
Yogesh Gandhi was charged with [[mail fraud]] by the United States Department of Justice.<ref name="usatoday">{{cite news | last = Associated Press | author-link = Associated Press | title = Fund-raiser faces tax, fraud charges | work = [[USA Today]] | publisher = www.usatoday.com | year = 1999 | url = https://www.usatoday.com/news/index/finance/ncfin248.htm | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20000823191337/http://www.usatoday.com/news/index/finance/ncfin248.htm | archive-date = 2000-08-23 | access-date = 2007-03-15 | url-status = dead }}</ref> Prior to the charges, Gandhi had presented [[Bill Clinton]] with the "Gandhi Peace Award" accompanied by a bust of [[Mohandas Gandhi]],<ref name="ap97">{{cite news | last = Rowley | first = James | title = Much of the questionable money was returned | agency = [[Associated Press]] | date = July 11, 1997 }}</ref> and had his picture taken with the president.<ref name="cnn">{{cite news | last = McCaughan | first = Timothy | title = Democratic supporter faces new charges | work =[[CNN]] | publisher = [[Time Warner]] | date = March 9, 1999 | url = http://www.cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/stories/1999/03/09/gandhi/ }}</ref>

In 1987, Gandhi gave an award to [[Ryochi Sasakawa]], an individual the [[United States Senate]] investigation referred to as "a controversial, wealthy Japanese businessman who was jailed by the Americans after World War II for suspected war crimes and has been accused of links to organized crime and extreme rightists."<ref name="investigation" /> A year after Sasakawa received the Gandhi award from Yogesh Gandhi, Sasakawa donated $500,000 to the Gandhi Memorial International Foundation.<ref name="investigation" />

In 1988 the Gandhi Memorial International Foundation gave [[Werner Erhard]], [[Joan Baez]], [[Shirley Temple Black]], and [[David Packard]] its "Mahatma Gandhi Humanitarian Award".<ref name="dumaine">{{cite news | last = Dumaine | first = Brian | title = Winning Ideas in Management: Distilled Wisdom: Buddy, Can you Paradigm? | work = [[Fortune Magazine]] | pages = 205–6 | publisher = [[Time Warner]] | date = May 15, 1995 }}</ref><ref name="statue">Statue of Gandhi Dedicated in S.F., San Francisco Chronicle, October 4, 1988</ref> This award was also given in 1995 to [[Hogen Fukunaga]], an individual that a [[United States Senate]] investigation described as "a Japanese multimillionaire who runs a controversial religious organization in Japan and faces multiple legal problems in Japan from people claiming to have been defrauded by his organization."<ref name="investigation" /> According to ''[[SF Weekly]]'': "Tanaka, a Japanese health-food magnate, would channel money Fukunaga had raised through his huge Japanese cult following to Yogesh Gandhi, who would use his phony Gandhi Memorial Foundation to bribe world leaders, who would then help elevate Fukunaga's stature."<ref name="sfweekly">{{cite news | last = Smith | first = Matt | title = Here Today, Gandhi Tomorrow? : Amazing tale of Walnut Creek man who gave Clinton $325,000; immunity possible for congressional testimony | work = [[SF Weekly]] | publisher =www.sfweekly.com | date = April 8, 1998 | url = http://www.sfweekly.com/1998-04-08/news/here-today-gandhi-tomorrow/ }}</ref>

==DNC returns donation==
[[CNN]] reported that Yogesh Gandhi used funds solicited for his Gandhi Memorial International Foundation, in order to pay off his own personal debts.<ref name="cnn" /> In 1996, the [[Democratic National Committee]] had to give back $325,000 to Yogesh Gandhi, because they could not verify that he was the source of the donations.<ref name="india">{{cite news | last = Haniffa | first = Aziz | title = DNC Returns $325,000 to Yogesh Gandhi | work = India Abroad | date = November 15, 1996 | url = http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-3128054.html | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110516152257/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-3128054.html | url-status = dead | archive-date = May 16, 2011 }}</ref> Gandhi refused to supply proof of the money's origins, and maintained that it had come from his own personal sources.<ref name="cnn" /> The contribution had been the single largest received by the Democratic Party in 1996.<ref name="lubbock">{{cite news | last =Staff | title = More Chinese money turns up: $50,000 Chinese bank draft preceded DNC donation | work = [[Lubbock Avalanche-Journal]] | date = July 10, 1997 }}</ref> An investigation by the [[United States Senate]] determined that these funds initially came from a Japanese national.<ref name="investigation" /> The donation had originally been solicited from Yogesh Gandhi by Democratic Party fund-raiser [[Charles Yah Lin Trie]].<ref name="ap96">{{cite news
| last = Yost | first = Pete | title = Clinton calls arms dealer's White House visit inappropriate | agency = [[Associated Press]] | date = December 20, 1996 | url = http://www.chron.com/content/chronicle/page1/96/12/21/china-arms.html }}</ref>

== Forged accounts ==
[[Donald Shimer]] was a past executive director for the organization from 1987 to 1992.<ref name="cbsnews" /> Shimer resigned when he was denied credit while attempting to use his personal [[American Express]] credit card, in May 1996.<ref name="cbsnews" /> Shimer later learned that corporate accounts had been opened in his name in 1995 by Yogesh Gandhi, who Shimer believes had forged his signature.<ref name="cbsnews" /> Yogesh Gandhi testified that he was not a United States citizen, had no financial assets in the country, and was living off his brother's credit.<ref name="motherjones" /> ''Mother Jones'' reported that the foundation "hadn't filed the required tax returns for years."<ref name="motherjones" />

==Defunct==
In 1999, the Foundation was reported to have ceased its activities.<ref name="pleadsguilty" />

== See also ==

*[[1996 United States campaign finance controversy]]
*[[Campaign finance]]
*[[Democratic National Committee]]
*[[Money laundering]]
*[[1996 United States presidential election]]

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

==External links==
{{commons}}
{{wikisource|1997 Special Investigation in Connection with 1996 Federal Election Campaigns/Section 11}}
*[https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/1999/March/082crm.htm Yogesh Gandhi Charged with Tax Evasion, Mail and Wire Fraud and Perjury], [[United States Department of Justice]]
*[https://www.senate.gov/~govt-aff/11.pdf The Contribution of Yogesh Gandhi], [[United States Senate]]

[[Category:Non-profit organizations based in California]]
[[Category:American fraudsters]]
[[Category:Scandals in the United States]]
[[Category:Gandhians]]

Gandhi Memorial International Foundation - Revision history

CleanupBot II at 22:56, 13 August 2023