Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger will need to decide whether to subpoena the church of senatorial candidate Raphael Warnock after it failed to respond in writing to a legal inquiry on its charitable status.
The Secretary of State’s Securities and Charities Division has demanded explanation from the Ebenezer Building Foundation — a foundation operated by Warnock’s Ebenezer Baptist Church — of its charitable status within the state.
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“The Division’s records indicate that Ebenezer Building Foundation, Inc […] is not registered as a charitable organization with the State of Georgia,” the Securities and Charities Division wrote in an Oct. 12 letter.
Warnock is the senior pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church and a principal officer of the Ebenezer Building Foundation.
Sen. Raphael Warnock speaks to supporters as film director Spike Lee (R) listens during a canvass launch on Nov. 6, 2022, in Savannah, Georgia. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
The Oct. 12 letter continued, “Accordingly, if Ebenezer Building Foundation is soliciting charitable contributions and operating as a charitable organization in the State of Georgia without an active registration or applicable exemption, it is in violation of O.C.G.A. § 43-17-5, and therefore, is subject to administrative penalties under O.C.G.A. § 43-17-13.”
Neither Ebenezer Baptist Church nor Ebenezer Building Foundation replied in writing by the Nov. 2 deadline.
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Republican U.S. Senate candidate Herschel Walker speaks during an election night watch party on Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022, in Atlanta. | Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock speaks during an election night watch party on Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson | AP Photo/John Bazemore)
Officials are now forced to decide whether to increase pressure on the foundation via subpoena if the state’s inquiries go unanswered, a spokesman for the state charities division said Thursday, according to the Washington Free Beacon.
A dozen eviction lawsuits were filed against residents between February 2020 and September 2022. One report included an eviction notice for a resident owing as little as $25.88 in past-due rent.
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Rev. Raphael G. Warnock delivers the eulogy for Rayshard Brooks at his funeral in Ebenezer Baptist Church on June 23, 2020, in Atlanta, Georgia. (Curtis Compton-Pool/Getty Images)
Ebenezer Baptist Church, which pays Warnock a sizable $7,417 monthly housing allowance as its senior pastor, is 99% owner of the Columbia Tower at MLK Village, where residents have received eviction notices for owing as little as $25.88 in past-due rent, according to documents obtained by the Free Beacon.
Eight tenants at Columbia Tower, which is also run by Columbia Residential and described as a haven for the “chronically homeless” and those afflicted with “mental disabilities,” have been issued eviction notices since early 2020 for owing an average of $125 in rent.
Fox News’ Jon Brown contributed to this report.