Tony Hawk Foundation Wants $10K Back From Marysville Youth Group
MARYSVILLE (CBS13) — The walls are closing in on Sutter-Yuba Friday Night Live after a Call Kurtis Investigation.
CBS13 has uncovered the IRS stripped the group of its tax-exempt status last year for failing to file taxes and now the state is threatening to revoke the charity's registration. State records show Sutter-Yuba Friday Night Live has not filed required tax paperwork with the state since 2015 when it listed its assets as $532,308.
We uncovered its last tax filing with the IRS, where the group claimed it had more than $600,000 in assets.
This same organization changed its story about what happened to the $10,000 donated in 2010 to the Marysville Miner's Park by The Tony Hawk Foundation. Hawk is a world-famous skateboarder.
"It doesn't always happen overnight like you'd like to see it happen," said Friday Night Live C.E.O. Janet Siller.
In the Spring, Siller told us she received several grants for the skate park and spent other money first, saving between seven and eight thousand dollars of the Tony Hawk Foundation donation for phase two improvements, which never happened.
The Tony Hawk Foundation says the money was supposed to be spent within two years. After our involvement granted the organization an extension.
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Siller pledged to spend the money in one fiscal year, but when we checked in months later on the plan, she left a puzzling voicemail saying the Tony Hawk Foundation grant was gone. She did not say how it was spent.
"Hi Kurtis, this is Janet Siller from Friday Night Live. Just know that every dollar that was awarded to Sutter-Yuba Friday Night Live on behalf of the Tony Hawk Foundation was spent at the end of the grant, which had to be spent within two years. There is no funding that is tied to Tony Hawk in any way, shape or form," Siller said.
After repeated calls and emails, Siller has not said how the money was spent.
We've since uncovered this letter from the California Attorney General, dated earlier this month, threatening to suspend or revoke Sutter-Yuba Friday Night Live's registration to operate as a charity if it does not file required paperwork.
A Tony Hawk Foundation representative says the organization is "dismayed" and says they are starting the process to request the organization return the $10,000.
It's disappointing to skateboarder Sly Espinoza who turned to us to investigate Sutter-Yuba Friday Night Live.
"It's embarrassing, for them," said Sly.
