OKLAHOMA CITY — Larry Jones, a traveling preacher from Oklahoma, gave 20 cents to a hungry child on the streets in Haiti in 1979 and felt more could be done to help starving children.
Over the next 30 years, Jones and his family embraced that ideal. They created Feed the Children, one of the world’s largest charities, and it became known for Jones’ heart-wrenching televised pleas for donations as a hungry child with sad eyes sat by his side.
But now Jones has been fired from his own charity and is in a legal fight to get his job back from the $1 billion organization that is striving to push forward amid lawsuits, a state attorney general’s investigation and watchdog groups warning people not to give it money. All of this comes as competition among nonprofits is fierce for dwindling donations in a tough economy.
Jones said he is heartbroken to see the charity he built moving along without him, especially when so many people are in need of Feed the Children’s assistance.
“America is in a mess right now,” he said. “It’s a tough time for just about everybody. This is a time we should really be reaching out to people.”
The charity fired Jones in November after learning he secretly had “bugging” devices installed in executives’ offices. Its board claims he also accepted tens of thousands of dollars in kickbacks from charity vendors, operated the organization with little or no oversight and misspent charity funds, including giving himself and his wife secret raises.
Jones, who earned about $235,000 as president, has acknowledged placing listening devices in agency offices. But he contends he didn’t do anything wrong and that he was fired out of “personal malice and spite” by a board of directors eager to expand their power.
The allegations against Jones that emerged in court filings prompted the state attorney general’s office to launch a massive investigation into Feed the Children that could result in criminal charges, said Assistant Attorney General Julie Bays.
“This is a charity that, no matter what the personalities are, has always done good work,” Bays said. “Whether or not they did it efficiently or not, or whether there was some wrongdoing, that’s still up in the air.”
State investigators could recommend the charity replace its board, be placed into receivership, or reach an agreement with the state to fix its problems. Bays said it’s also possible no action will be taken against the charity.
For its part, the charity is moving on without Jones. Board chairman Rick England said board members removed Jones because they thought it was the best for the organization and are searching for a new leader.
Meanwhile, the nonprofit plans to continue its mission of helping underprivileged children.
