The Credibility of the National Pet Rescue Examiner Called into Question

Another Nail in AC4h's Coffin: The State Takes Action

As many of you are aware, the Pennsylvania state bureau of charities slapped Christy Sheidy with a cease and desist order on August 26, 2013, forbidding her from soliciting donations as a result of her failure to keep AC4h's registration current with the state, which lapsed in November 2012, as well as failure to provide requested documents.

However, Christy arrogantly thumbed her nose at the authorities and continued to solicit donations, mainly through the AC4h Broker Horses page on Facebook and ac4h.com. Despite Ms. Sheidy's claim that the FBI seized financial records during the April 30, 2013 raid at 166 Station Road in Bernville, AC4h did, however, file for 2013, which shows that the charity raked in over $630,000 at this link: AC4h's 2013 990 return -- clear evidence that the charity was indeed disobeying the Commonwealth's cease and desist order.

On January 6th of this year, the Commonwealth, after a lengthy investigation, took definitive action, levying a fine of $5,000 and a four-count Order to Show Cause, charging Christy and Rick Sheidy with several violations of the Solicitations of Funds for Charitable Purposes Act. Specifically:

1. The Sheidys were requested to provide certain documents and information pursuant to the Bureau's periodic review of AC4h's charitable activities. However, the respondents provided only incomplete information in response, and also failed to respond to the Bureau's subsequent requests for additional information and clarification;

2. Christy and Rick continued to solicit donations after the respondents' certificate of registration expired on or about November 10, 2012;

3. The Secretary of the Commonwealth issued a cease and desist order on August 26, 2013, forbidding the Sheidys from soliciting donations in the state until such time when AC4h provided the Bureau with the requested documents and until the organization became duly registered with the state or provided information to prove that it is exempt or excluded from registration. The Commonwealth further alleged that the Sheidys acted in defiance of the C&D and continued to solicit donations.

4. Rick Sheidy served as President of Another Chance 4 Horses, Inc., while Christy served as secretary of the organization. The Commonwealth alleged that the Sheidys violated their fiduciary duties by misappropriating funds from the organization for their own personal use and failing to apply funds in a manner substantially consistent with Another Chance 4 Horses' charitable purpose.

 One of the documents provided upon request was the 2010 990 return, which shows AC4h took in over $860,000 and which stated the Sheidys did not receive any compensation from the organization. However, during the course of his investigation, Investigator Drew Koser discovered that Rick Sheidy was paid a total of $21,000 from AC4h's account, and that the memoranda on many of the checks written from the organization's account was for "hauling" and/or "transport".  Likewise, Christy herself received funds from AC4h's account.

Furthermore, Christy initially denied any misappropriation of funds to Mr. Koser, until he confronted her with evidence obtained through subpoenas that she and Rick had used the organization's monies to pay property taxes and the mortgage on 166 Station Road, as well as to pay for a time-share condo in Orlando, Florida-- a time share she claimed was intended to be raffled off on behalf of the organization or rented out, but never was put to that use. Instead, it was used as a vacation residence by the family on trips to Florida.

These revelations in themselves are not all that surprising as many of us have long contended that Christy and her family was living off the charity and that none of them were gainfully employed in outside jobs. In going back through evidence I've been collecting ever since I got sucked into the battle between AC4h and myself, I found some very interesting statements from the Alex Brown Racing Forums made by Lori Renee Leach, AC4h's legal counsel, as well as Christy herself, about the charity's financial dealings.

Here Lori Leach (kyfarmgirl67) explains how payments to AC4h are processed:

From:	kyfarmgirl67	Sep-28 11:48 am
To:	murphy079	(144 of 252)

 51481.144 in reply to 51481.142 

Thanks for trying to assist with the trainwreck on COTH!  I will try to explain to the best of my knowledge and hopefully Christy can come on later.   The broker program is an umbrella program of AC4H.   As Christy has stated, AC4H has many arms (or for corporate types: divisions or subsidiaries).  One arm is the broker program; one arm is the TB division; one arm is the rescue horses that are in the care of AC4H and another arm is for education (such as having Girl Scouts out to the farm to learn about horses and doing expos). 

All payments that are made to AC4H go into the AC4H bank account via either checks or paypal (and I assume they may occasionally get cash donations at expos and such).  The bank account is a restricted account that does not allow cash withdrawals so all money that goes into and out of the AC4H account is accounted for by a paper trail.  Paypal is set up the same way.  AC4H cannot send out money via paypal.  It is set up to either receive money or to refund.  I have been involved in emails when someone paypal'd too much money and Christy's only option was to refund the entire amount and the person had to resend. 

I know that Christy has addressed these issues on ABR before. If I get a chance I will try and find the posts. 

From:	kyfarmgirl67	Sep-28 11:51 am
To:	murphy079	(145 of 252)

 51481.145 in reply to 51481.142 

Found this from Christy on another post:

We do validate everything legally as required.  990's are online and we had an independent audited performed annually.  Also we file personal taxes.  We are not paid or salaried from the rescue.  The broker program all funds are paid to the rescue/AC4H which is perfectly within legal guidelines and also our mission statement.

The rescue has a business account - every cent is deposited - you can't for instance take a check to the bank and take $20 out in cash and deposit the rest - ALL has to go into the account and from there it is acccounted for through accounting through state and federal channels and then independent audit performed.  We have nothing to monetarily profit personally from the horses being saved and it is right on paper for everyone to see. 

Now, in Christy's own words:

From:   ac4h   11/19/2009 11:12 am  To:  ac4h  (242 of 303)
	42936.242 in reply to 42936.238
	Now to your financial questions - this is going to be long. My background.... I worked from the time I was 15 and my dad lost his job as an Air Traffic Controller (back in the 80's) until my oldest daughters due date. I did everything from cashier to taking a course in real estate and selling homes to going to office management and working my way up to medical billing manager. After our first daughter was born I worked from home and did cleaning jobs and babysat, taught Sunday School I did Mary Kay, Market America these are multilevel marketing companies where you get paid off sales. I also did lead generation over the internet sales. We did rescue out of our pocket and we did rescue that way for 5 years - no donations - our money. We learned on our dime about the auctions and strangles and quarantine- we learned a lot! My husband, Rick Sheidy, his entire family is known in this area for building things bridges and houses but they aren't rich and actually Rick's dad died a young age Rick said from stress of running his own business and people not paying which is why Rick was very set against opening his own busines. My husband worked for the family business for many years and then went to work through the union as a carpenter for many years. Just as an fyi to teach Sunday school and to work in schools you have to have a criminal background check done. We are clean lol. We have also both lived in this same area for MANY years. Rick his whole life and my family moved to PA in 79. Back to the work situation... Rick got hurt and hurt bad. Not proud to say we had some very tough times. We did have to declare bankruptsy. It stinks but it happens. We got a settlement because of his injuries and we paid everything off with the exception of our house. Our house is a double wide mobile home with an addition that sits on approx 1 1/2 acres. I have heard some say it's a mansion! We to this day do not have any payments other than our house which we owe about $67,000. We do not have credit cards, car payments or expensive jewelry or items. We either have the money to buy something or we don't get it - we live modestly and we do without to do rescue. The most important thing we do not have is health insurance. We do file taxes and we do work. Rick has not nor ever has been on disability. He is still able to work and actually we have been downsizing our numbers because we are getting older and we do need health insurance. Other than what I mentioned above that we did and the carpentry work we found our niche with ponies. We did protect them with contracts and they were housed on my parents property, my kids trained them under my supervision and they were placed again with protective written contracts on average $2,500/piece and we had/have waiting lists. This year my daughters did not train ponies they worked with the rescue horses as volunteers. Now for the rescue - At this time my family owns 2 mini mares that were both rescue'd . They are not at the farms we rent to house rescue horses. We have a business account and all payments go to the business account so that all funds have to be deposited. If you go to the bank with your personal account you can deposit some and take some cash out - you can't with the business account and we did it that way for accounting purposes. From there the funds are reported on a 990 and an independent audit done. Salary and payments... we don't have any employee's and Rick and I do not take a salary. It is perfectly legal to do - but we don't. Again we paid out of our pocket for the first 5 years that we rescued and hit all the learning curves. I thought that since my personal lifestyle was brought up I would take pictures of our house, yard and vehicles. Here is the link since you can't come visit and see for yourself. Pictures of our farms and some video footage is on the website under pic's and blog link also many pictures of visitors too. http://www.flickr.com/photos/anotherchance4horses/sets/72157621890446027/ Sorry this is so long but I didn't want anyone to think we are trying to hide anything and hope that this clears up how and why we do things*. Thank you for taking the time to read. There are many volunteers who see how we live and what we do for the horses. If you ever do get a chance and are in the area please do give us a call and we will be happy to show you around. *Note where Christy says, "Sorry this is so long but I didn't want anyone to think we are trying to hide anything and hope that this clears up how and why we do things". Now, I'm going to trot out an email exchange that took place between one of my friends and Christy on New Year's Eve, 2010, in which Christy was very evasive and refused to answer direct questions from my friend, whose identity has been changed for her protection. Christy's comments are in bold type. Nancy S________ My recent conversation with Christy and why I have legit concerns about AC4H. In no way do I have a personal problem with her at all Christy emailed me ... Christy Sheidy December 31 at 8:35am Report Nancy who is your husband and where does he work? I want to verify and validate that he is familiar with non profit acconting work as you declare and offer him a chance to correct his misinformation that you have posted.  You ask why I have not answered you? You haven't emailed me directly. You always post on a thread after I have left. Nice. We hired a non profit accountant at a discounted rate of $75.00 per hour Nancy. I used to manage the books for hospitals and nursing homes and am very familiar with accounting. We also hire an independent auditor annually to go over our books and prepare an audit. You didn't know that did you? Do you know what program services are Nancy? Do you know what constitutes program services? I think you should look into it real quick.  My response  Christy.. yes we have both emailed you several times. I am guessing that you are going to say that you never got the emails but that is not a problem since we are in contact at this time now.  Since you are very familiar with accounting then the questions I have asked should be simple ones for you. The reason I emailed and asked you the questions were to understand more. Here is the email again. Christy, I know in the past we have not seen eye to eye on everything, but I try to believe that everyone is good at heart. I had given you money in the past for Hayard Branch. With all the drama surrounding you I decided to have my husband help me out. We looked at your 2009 990-EZ filing. My husband is employed in the financial area and pointed a couple of things out to me.  I want to give you the opportunity to explain these things to me. My first thought was to just post the form and question it in the open, but he talked me into coming to you directly and privately. 1) You are reporting $306,602.95 as Program Service Revenue. If AC4H does not actually own the broker horses, then where does this revenue come from. I find it hard to believe that you are adopting out $25,500 worth of horses a month. 2) Also Part III of Schedule A, Section B, Line 12 you list this Other income of $306,602.95. Since you listed this income, you needed to explain in Part IV where this income comes from. Why did you negect to complete this section? 3) Part III, Section C, Line 15 stated your percentage of Public Support is 23.87%, so that means 76.13% of your support comes from the Broker program. I don't think very many of your detractors know this. This would only fuel their fire. It's hard to understand that you are a charity, when only 1 out of every 4 dollars you receive come from the good hearts of people trying to save horses. 4) Part VI, Line 49a You state that you have made transfers to exempt non-charitable related organization?. What did you transfer and to whom did you transfer? Finally, you state that your expenses for horses and supplies is $208,052.59 and the revenue from selling them is $306,602.95. How can this be the case when the broker sets the price of the horses? These numbers should be the same if all you do is give the broker what he wants for them. Do you mark them up for the adopters? I know you will be able to answer all of these questions since you are the paid preparer that signed the 990-EZ.  I would like you to not only answer the questions, but allow me to ask any follow up questions as well, so we can quickly gets this all cleared up. Thank you, Nancy Yesterday at 2:31pm · Unlike · 8 people Nancy S_________ her response  You didn't answer me Nancy who is your husband and where does he work? I want to verify and validate that he is familiar with non profit acconting work as you declare and offer him a chance to correct his misinformation that you have posted.  my response  Christy, I guess I am not understanding why that would matter to you. You ALWAYS tell everyone that we can ask anything we want and you are glad to answer. Does it matter if he understands? YOU can tell us where we are wrong and explain please her response  You said your husband is in the know regarding 990's, accounting and non profits. That is how you came up with your questions, accusations and insinuations?  You said - "With all the drama surrounding you I decided to have my husband help me out. We looked at your 2009 990-EZ filing. My husband is employed in the financial area and pointed a couple of things out to me".  Since I hired an accountant for a discounted rate of $75.00 per hour I would like to know how your husbands knowledge applies to question the 990's that are audited and turned in to very knowledgable IRS agents Mary. I mean your the one who said your husband has the knowledge to pose questions and I am asking you to validate that.  my response  I am sorry Christy I was coming to you as you have stated time and time again wtih ANY questions. My husband said to tell you to please by all means correct him if he is wrong. If you ca not answer the questions or choose not to for yur own reasons then that is fine. YOU are the public charity that has the legal and moral obligation to respond to any public questions. I do appreciate your time and hope that you can settle my mind on these matters. I mean that with all sincerity.  And for your own benefit please ask yor accountant what an excess benefit transaction is. Again, I hope you will respond to me with real and specific answers to clear all this up.  Nancy  her response  Ok I will correct him and I do not think he has any experience with 990's or non profits. Look up what Program Service Revenue is and what goes into it Nancy. It's on the IRS website.  My moral obligation is to fulfill our mission statement and legally fulfill our obligations which is all done and I even answered your questions and the info is provided for public inspection. We even surpass that with an inedpendent audit. Just because you don't understand a 990 and throw out insinuations based on opinion doesn't make it correct and it isn't.  I am going to the barn - horses need me and then I am going to run errands, check emails, feed horses and enjoy an evening with family and friends. Happy New Year Nancy.  my response  My husband said he is looking at it now and doesn't understand why you are having such a problem answering simple questions. It states that you reported over 300,000.00 in Program Service Revenue. How is this possible? Do you adopt out 25,000.00 in horses per month? He is asking where this money is coming from if it is not from the broker program? It would be impossible in his mind that you would be adopting out that many horses in a months time.  To be honest Christy, we did not expect you to answer and to protect yourself at this point maybe it is best not to.  Happy New Year to you as well.  Nancy  her response  I did answer it. I told you ti go check out what goes into program service revenue. It isn't just adoptions Mary, it isn't broker horse revenue, it's a variety of things that are done to create revenue - that is why it's called program service revenue!  my response  Yes I am asking you what that is.. what else is there that would create 300,000.00 in income when you have also stated that donations are only 23% of your total revenue. Thanks for emailing me back.  her last response OMG Nancy you don't know what we do at all do you? Expo's, fundraisers, HSUS walk a thon's, miniature spokes horses at Petco, Sweet street fundraiser, our raffle auction - we work our asses off to keep the horses fed Nancy! I don't know if you have looked at the bottom line but the money went right back out really flippin fast! It's expensive!!! It is extremely gratifying to see our suspicions about Christy Sheidy and AC4h so resoundingly confirmed by the authorities and her bold statements about her innocence exposed as the lies we all know they are. This latest action by the Pennsylvania authorities and the revelations that were subsequently made are, I believe, just the tip of the iceberg and that much, much more will be revealed on the federal front once the FBI, IRS and other government agencies wrap up their case against Christy and AC4h.  Stay tuned for developments in the near future.......

    

Memo to John Holland of the EWA: You CANNOT Have Your Cake and Eat It Too!

In a stunning turn of events recently, John Holland, the president and a co-founding member of the Equine Welfare Alliance, an influential and internationally-recognized nonprofit organization dedicated to eradicating horse slaughter and the protection of America's wild horses and burros, asked a long-standing board member, to resign after she posted a photo of a legal notice on her Facebook wall.

That legal notice, published in the Reading Eagle newspaper, was for a tax lien of $19,182 by the IRS against AC4h pertaining to fiscal years 2004, 2005 and 2007. The photo was snapped by a friend of mine who then uploaded it to Facebook and tagged me in it. It was quickly shared by others who are in the know about AC4h's long and checkered history.

One of those individuals who shared it is my good friend and passionate horse advocate as well as a board member of EWA,  Jo-Claire Corcoran, who has been very outspoken in her criticism of Christy Sheidy and her cruel exploitation of unfit-for-sale auction horses at exorbitant prices as unbefitting a nonprofit rescue. She has never been shy or reticent in this regard; surely Mr. Holland was well aware of her feelings, yet he never objected or raised any concerns.

That is, until Jo-Claire shared the photo of the tax lien in the newspaper to her wall, where it was apparently seen by John Holland -- or possibly by Christy Sheidy herself or one of her associates. On May 9, Jo-Claire posted this:

I regret to inform my friends I am no longer associated with Equine Welfare Alliance. I resigned from the board of directors effective Wednesday, May 7th. John Holland asked for my resignation because I posted the legal notification the IRS published about the lien they obtained against Another Chance 4 Horses (AC4H). Since John is a fervent supporter of Sheidy and AC$H, I did not fight to stay, rather chose to resign. I do not wish to be associated with any organization that supports Christy Sheidy and AC$H. 

The reaction from Jo-Claire's friends and others was swift and immediate, with nearly everyone reiterating their steadfast support for her and her views on AC4h, with many of them echoing those same opinions. One of them had this to say:

Equine welfare and AC$H et al should not even be mentioned in the same sentence. I am appalled that someone purporting to be concerned about horse welfare would support anyone involved in their exploitation for money on such a grand scale.

Another friend of Jo-Claire's chimed in with this comment:

As we all know Jo-Claire Corcoran has always shown great respect for John Holland and EWA. I suppose that it was a great shock to her as it is to all of us. Posting a public notice on a personal page is a right we all have. I don't like anyone or organization that cheats on their taxes. That hurts all of us. An organization such as EWA shouldn't promote or endorse any rescues. In my opinion EWA should encourage well run rescues but never endorse any of them. Many of us are aware of the unethical practices of AC4H. In fact we probably know more about the crap they are doing then any other rescue on FB. It's very well known that they misrepresent the animals. It's also obvious they are making lots of income from the horses they profess to be saving. It's up to the IRS to determine if they reported all the income or not but it seems reasonable to believe they did not. It's very possible that if IRS determines that they committed tax fraud that they will spend time in prison.
I would hate for EWA to continue to promote an organization that is committing tax fraud. It makes me wonder why they would.

.

John Holland's position against horse slaughter as the president of the Equine Welfare Alliance is totally incongruous with his support of a seedy, bottom-dwelling horse dealer and flipper who has been using her "rescue" and its nonprofit status to live high off the backs of hundreds of lame, ill, emaciated, injured and elderly horses while sending many more to slaughter. This she has accomplished by enabling her kill buyer partner, Brian Moore, to buy dozens of young, fat and healthy horses cheaply with his cut from the broker program to fulfill his slaughter contract.

It is no secret that AC4h is, and has been, under investigation by the FBI as well as the IRS since December of 2012 for a litany of crimes including wire and mail fraud, theft by deception, money laundering, conspiracy, income tax evasion, and other Federal offenses. Dozens of victims have shared their heart-wrenching experiences in Internet forums, Facebook groups and on such websites as Chronicle of the Horse and Guidestar.org, a well-known Internet nonprofit watchdog. In light of all this, it is inconceivable to me and many others how Mr. Holland could possibly overlook or ignore these very obvious red flags flapping in the storm surrounding Christy Sheidy and AC4h.

In the same thread on Jo-Claire Corcoran's wall,  Darrell R. Charlton spoke up in defense of John and his actions:

As John is a personal friend of mine I spoke with him at length on the telephone today for his input on this 'drama'. As this is a personal matter between Jo-Claire and EWA it is not my place to go into the details of my discussion with John other than to say I am aware of why Jo-Claire was asked to resign. John has not aligned himself nor is EWA aligned with any specific rescue or member of the organization (which AC4H and Ms. Sheidy are as are numerous others).

I am aware of the investigations into AC4H and Ms. Sheidy. IF AC4H and/or Ms. Sheidy is/are found culpable and/or guilty then the 'system' will hopefully administer fair and appropriate 'justice'. It is also likely that both AC4H and Ms. Sheidy will face expulsion from EWA membership. Until a formal verdict has been given I choose not to participate in as yet unresolved accusations, gossip or vitriol!

However, actions speak louder than words, and by asking Jo-Claire to resign after she posted the IRS tax lien to her wall, John Holland has clearly demonstrated where his loyalties lie--with Christy Sheidy and AC4h.  Another friend of mine called him out on her wall, expressing her horror that he would support or condone her in any way. Surprisingly, John did comment in the thread, saying:

John Holland It is EWA policy that we do not take a public position for or against any other equine welfare or rescue organization. We leave such issues to the proper authorities. If one of our board members knows something criminal is going on in such an organization, it is their duty to report it to such authorities, but not to become involved in flame wars.

Jo-Claire's response to him in that thread:

Jo-Claire Corcoran Interesting John, when Marie Ewan and Jo Maloney were attacking me, you said you never let someone dictate to you how you handle the board. Yet I post a legal notification and one comment in defense of a friend, but because it's about AC4H, the response is different. it wasn't a "flame" war, it wasn't as a board member, but as myself. A legal document.


Jo-Claire Corcoran Plus this whole issue was never put before the board either, John made this decision on his own. Other board members, once they found out, did not agree with John

John Holland would do well to re-examine his statements in light of a photograph I came across on AC4h.com-- a photograph of him standing outside a building with his arm around Christy Sheidy's shoulders.

This photograph was snapped during the Americans Against Horse Slaughter conference that took place in Washington, D.C., on March 4, 2008-- six years ago. Mr. Holland has clearly demonstrated by his recent actions that he supports Christy and AC4h and has been doing so for a long time, despite his extremely contradictory statement above.

I am sorry, Mr. Holland, but as the time-worn cliché goes, "You cannot have your cake and eat it too". By asking Jo-Claire Corcoran to resign for merely posting a photograph of the IRS tax lien against AC4h on her wall, you've shown the entire world your true colors. You, as a co-founder of EWA, have been instrumental in bringing awareness to the public about the horrors of horse slaughter, yet you are condoning the unsavory actions of an EWA member who is implicitly pro-slaughter despite her public stance against this barbaric practice. Tell me how you are not taking a public position for or against any equine welfare or rescue organization here? Impartiality, it seems, doesn't get a seat in your ballpark.

EWA is supposed to be all about the humane treatment of all equines, yet you support your 'friend' while she callously abuses and neglects the broker horses brought to her courtesy of Brian Moore. Those abuses have been well documented by victims who bought into AC4h's emotional blackmail to save animals from the slaughter truck, thinking they were getting the horse of their dreams--only to be emotionally crushed when it arrived deathly ill, lame beyond rehabilitation, starved into a shadow of its former self, or not "child-broke", "gentle for a beginning rider" or some other gross misrepresentation.

In my opinion, EWA's image was irretrievably soiled in one fell swoop by John's actions towards Jo-Claire Corcoran. By asking her to resign over a photo that she freely shared to her wall as a private citizen, he made an emphatic statement in support of a multi-million dollar criminal enterprise, which is exactly what AC4h is.  He also severely compromised any and all personal ethics he had up to this point.

What he should have done a year ago was expel AC4h from the Equine Welfare Alliance immediately following the FBI raid. The Feds do not arbitrarily raid someone's home with weapons drawn without probable cause--and it certainly wasn't over "health certificates" as Sheidy so glibly claimed in a TV interview afterwards. The Maryland FBI field agent I met with several times last year told me point blank that they do not as a rule get involved in cases of fraud unless the amount lost is at least one million dollars.  AC4h raked in $860,000 in 2010 alone, the very last year a return was filed with the IRS, and the organization has been an incorporated entity since 2005. Don't forget too, that no returns were filed for the years 2011 and 2012. Today, May 15, is the filing deadline for nonprofits, and I doubt very much that the IRS will see a return for last year from Christy Sheidy anytime soon.

At this point, as I see it, Mr. Holland can only now save face by going down one of two paths: either step down as president of EWA, or expel AC4h from its membership with a public statement that EWA will not support any members who engage in unethical and/or criminal behavior where the welfare of equines is concerned. As for Jo-Claire Corcoran herself, a mutual friend said this:

I am relieved that Jo-Claire Corcoran is no longer associated with EWA. It is really a blessing in disguise. There is no way that Jo-Claire should be associated with any organization where someone, such as John Holland, is associated in any way with someone such as Christy Shady who is a horse broker and, therefore, part of the slaughter pipeline. Anyone who aligns themselves with Christy Shady is unethical and immoral. I think Jo-Claire should have turned in her resignation a long time ago.

I couldn't agree more.

By the way,  I thanked Jo-Claire publicly on my wall for standing up for me with regard to the vicious and prolonged attacks being made against me on the Equine Rescue Scams Facebook page, a page whose stated purpose is "to counter all the ignorant, uneducated, dumbass, 2nd/3rd/15th hand bandwagon bullstink spread by the proslaughter ASSERS who choose acute drama over helping horses."

The truth is, the page's name is extremely misleading and in actuality was created by Beth Hill Ross of New England Equine Rescues (NEER and a close associate of Christy's) to smear the good names of anyone and everyone who has the unmitigated gall to speak out against AC4h. I believe the admins are Cheryl Hanna, who also is the admin/creator of the National Pet Rescue Examiner Facebook page, and Pam Davis.

I want to thank Jo-Claire again from the bottom of my heart for defending me and for being such a courageous and compassionate human being who is not afraid to step out on a limb for the helpless and innocent creatures who don't have a voice. You ROCK, Jo-Claire!

Merry Christmas to All and a Happy New Year! Looking Ahead to 2014

Hero--whereabouts unknown

Today is Christmas Day, 2013. I know you are all probably spending the day with your loved ones and counting your blessings, as it should be. While you're at it, please include the innocent creatures of this earth in your thoughts and prayers because they, too, need to be included--and that goes for the broker horses who are still being callously exploited by Christy Sheidy and her associates for blood money.

Also, please pray for those people who have emptied their bank accounts to adopt the horses of their dreams, only to have their hearts irretrievably broken by the harsh reality that they were "taken for a ride." They do not deserve this and neither do the horses themselves, who had the sheer bad luck to fall into Brian Moore's hands, and subsequently into Christy's.

Belgian draft, "Yule"--deceased two weeks after arriving in broker lot

Please pray for justice for them and all the other victims and horses before them. Thankfully, that justice is now on the horizon with the Federal investigation into AC4h's criminal activities in full swing and more and more victims coming forward to turn over their evidence to the FBI.

OTTB Jackety Jack--very likely deceased

"St. Theresa"--sold positive for EIA and ill with bastard strangles; deceased

Yes, there is a just and merciful God and He will see to it that the perpetrators are arrested and punished to the fullest extent of the law. If you've been victimized, please don't hesitate to contact Special Agent Charlene Trux in charge of the investigation at charlene.trux@ic.fbi.gov or (610) 433-6488. Keep detailed records of your dealings with AC4h in a safe place and get them to her as soon as possible. The more people that come forward, the stronger the Federal government's case will be against her and her associates, and ensure that they get the maximum sentences allowed by law.

Cadillac Jack, Percheron gelding-- deceased

This has been a very long time in coming, and I want to thank each and every one of you for seeing AC4h for what it is and coming forward to the authorities and urging them to investigate. Furthermore, I want to thank all of you for seeing it through with me as well. It's been a very arduous journey for me mentally, emotionally and physically, and I could not have gotten this far without your unwavering support and words of encouragement. God bless each and every one of you; may peace and joy be with you for the New Year!

I feel in my heart that 2014 will be the year that AC4h finally comes crashing down. I will continue to watch and document its activities right here, and beyond its dismantling by the Feds. Stay tuned, and here's to a fruitful New Year!

FOR THE HORSES!

Faith, the severely foundered grulla mare--deceased

Paint mare, name unknown--died of bastard strangles at 166 Station Road; was never seen by a vet

Lady Empress, descendant of Ferdinand--deceased after being abandoned by Christy once funds were raised

OTTB, Munition-- whereabouts unknown; likely deceased

Help Push The National Pet Rescue Examiner page Off Facebook!

As you all know from my last blog entry, I conclusively proved beyond a doubt that one of AC4h's associates, Cheryl Hanna, is the creator and administrator of the National Pet Rescue Examiner page on Facebook. I have created a petition to get it taken down and hope that you will join with me and sign the petition because Ms. Hanna's two-faced, self-serving hypocrisy should not be tolerated, particularly when it comes to the welfare of those creatures who cannot speak for themselves. 

She may think she is speaking for them when in fact she is condoning the implicit abuse and neglect of the broker horses her gal pal Christy Sheidy peddles on Brian Moore's behalf week after week. I am aiming for 50,000 signatures and will send the petition on to Facebook's CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, and urge him to remove the page. The link to my petition is below. Thank you so much on behalf of all the voiceless and innocent creatures of this earth!

Petition to Shut Down the National Pet Rescue Examiner Facebook page

The National Pet Rescue Examiner, Exposed!

As they so often say, appearances can often be deceiving, and this is most certainly the case when it comes to a certain Facebook page, The National Pet Rescue Examiner, which focuses on animal cruelty and neglect cases around the country, with a smattering of "feel-good" stories such as the one about Bubbles, the Neapolitan mastiff who was found wandering the streets of Baltimore with a massive, nine-pound tumor weighing down one side of her head and displacing her left eye. She was subsequently operated on by a team of top-notch veterinary surgeons and is well on the way to recovery.

All well and good. That is, until you realize who is behind all those gloom-and-doom stories of innocent and helpless animals being mutilated, strangled, electrocuted, drowned and other horrific abuses inflicted on them by sadistic and depraved monsters. 

That would be Cheryl Hanna, who just so happens to be AC4h's publicity and marketing director. Yes, that so-called horse "rescue" in Bernville, Pennsylvania, which is currently under investigation by the FBI and IRS for wire fraud, money laundering, income tax evasion, conspiracy and other Federal crimes. 

Believe it or not, she actually condones the abuses and neglect that the AC4h broker horses are subjected to during their sad and lonely sojourn inside Brian Moore's broker lot, including, but not limited to, horses being forced to 'perform' under rider despite being obviously lame, emaciated or ill, oftentimes under a too-heavy rider, for Christy's ballyhooed "evaluation" videos. The neglect includes withholding of veterinary care when it's clearly needed, and adequate food and water. Is it any wonder, then, that so many of the horses going to their new homes are in far worse shape than when they initially arrived at the broker lot?

Not once has Ms. Hanna ever raised concerns about the treatment inflicted on these unfortunate horses or taken her to task. Not once. As a matter of fact, she has staunchly defended Christy and haughtily dismissed the glaring photographic evidence of abuse as "gossip" and "drama".  In one of my earlier blogs, I posted an entire thread between Cheryl and several very concerned horse lovers who raised Cain about a severely swaybacked and emaciated Saddlebred gelding that was being forced to walk, trot and what have you under a heavyset rider. On top of everything, that poor animal was ill, with snot dripping from his nostrils. Here's an excerpt from that thread:

• Cheryl Hanna Because it gives the horse a chance to get a home when someone sees that he can be ridden. Do you actually think that being loaded onto a slaughter truck and being processed in a slaughter plant is the better choice? Geesh people - after all these years can you please step away from the drama?
  November 16, 2011 at 8:31pm
  
  Mary Gellar Cheryl, when the people see the picture right NEXT to this one, all the GOOD that you think this picture does in my opinion is UNDONE!!! Yes, I hope this horse find a great home where he WON'T be ridden !!!
• November 16, 2011 at 8:32pm · 1
  
  Cheryl Hanna The rider is on the horse for 5 minutes. Try not to be the dramallamas ladies. It really is unbecoming.
• November 16, 2011 at 8:32pm
  
  Mary Gellar And if there had NOT been a rider on him, there would have been no comments !!
• November 16, 2011 at 8:32pm
  
  Mary Gellar 5 minutes, 5 seconds .... doesn't matter
• November 16, 2011 at 8:33pm · 2
  
  Cheryl Hanna The horse is less likely to find a home if it can't be seen being ridden. Sorry been thru all of this for years and already know that a few minutes on a horse's back and showing that he can be ridden is worth far more than just saying it. From experience and actually speaking to people who have purchased these horses, I know it is true.
• November 16, 2011 at 8:35pm
  
  Mary Gellar Cheryl, would you REALLY advocate people riding that fucking horse???
• November 16, 2011 at 8:36pm · 2
  
  Cheryl Hanna Just tell me the alternative as he gets loaded in a truck heading for Canada or Mexico and then gets a bolt thru his head??? That's a better choice than 5 minutes with someone on his back??? Sorry been thru all of this drama for years and personally have seen horses get homes because people actually see the horse is ridable.
• November 16, 2011 at 8:37pm
  
  Cheryl Hanna I advocate helping horses Mary as I have for the last 10 years.
• November 16, 2011 at 8:38pm
  
  Mary Gellar Cheryl, you didn't answer me.... how in God's name in GOOD CONSCIENCE can ANYONE offer this horse as a RIDING HORSE???? What kind of fraud is that??? I'd rather see someone buy it and HUMANELY EUTHANISE IT !!
• November 16, 2011 at 8:38pm · 2

Here is a photo of that horse in question, without a rider, to show you just how horribly emaciated he is:

You can read the entire thread at this link: http://voiceforhorses-exposed.blogspot.com/2013/02/cheryl-hanna-actively-promoting-cruelty.html

I will now show you proof that Cheryl Hanna is the creator/administrator for the National Pet Rescue Examiner Facebook page, as well as proof that she is AC4h's publicity and marketing director in a series of screenshots. The first screenshot is of the page itself from Facebook:

The second image is from the "About" section from the National Pet Rescue Examiner's page. When I placed the cursor over the 'contact info' link in that section, it revealed Cheryl Hanna's name in the bottom left hand corner of the screen as the contact person:

Next up is a screenshot from one of CH's Examiner articles showing her photo and name following the article itself:

In the following screenshot she encourages her readers to 'like' her Facebook page as well as to submit story ideas to her email address, which is given as Cdhanna9703@aol.com:

One of Ms. Hanna's favorite Internet hangouts is the Equine Rescue Scams Yahoo forum, where she regularly engages in vicious trash talking against me along with other AC4h associates and supporters, especially Pam Davis and Barbara Vieira. This screenshot shows her partial email address in the message source of one of her many posts (731 defamatory posts about me to date, while her BFF Pam has racked up 1,135 similarly malicious posts, all of which have been turned over to the FBI as evidence of cyberbullying and harassment):

Next, we have a screenshot from the Alex Brown Racing forums in which she discusses Diana Murphy and her rescue, Voice for Horses, in Toledo, Ohio and signs off with "Cheryl Hanna/Fundraising and Publicity Director/Another Chance 4 Horses/AC4H".

Another screenshot is from Serviceuntitled.com, a customer service website founded by her son, Douglas Hanna, for which she writes articles about --you guessed it-- customer service. This one is of her bio in which her association with AC4h is mentioned as well as with another horse rescue, Pure Thoughts Horse and Foal Rescue in Loxahatchee, Florida:

These screenshots collectively and persuasively prove that the creator/admin of the National Pet Rescue Examiner Facebook page and AC4h's marketing/publicity director are one and the same person. No ifs, ands, or buts about it.  PERIOD.

For someone like Cheryl Hanna to write stories about acts of cruelty and neglect being inflicted on helpless animals while supporting an extremely shady horse "rescue" and condoning the abuses that Christy Sheidy and her helpers dole out on the luckless horses, does nothing, in my opinion, for her credibility. I have never come across anyone so blatantly two-faced before in my life.

Christy is just as bad herself, claiming to be passionately in favor of humane treatment for horses, yet knowingly enabling her kill buyer partner Brian Moore to buy scores of young, fat and healthy horses cheaply with the profits he makes through the broker horse program to ship to slaughter in Canada. Ditto for the others: Lisa Drahorad, Colleen Cramblet, Pam Davis, Lori Leach and others deeply involved in the scam that is Another Chance 4 Horses, Inc., but Cheryl Hanna and Pam Davis are in a class by themselves.

It is eminently ironic that Cheryl would write about customer service and professionalism on her blog at Serviceuntitled.com, yet as a representative of a 501c3 nonprofit charity treat people with sheer and utter arrogance and contempt as she does, resorting to nasty and condescending insults if they should have the temerity to complain about the broker horse program or point out things that don't seem right or add up. Here's an excerpt from her blog:

Now contrast that with these randomly selected posts from the Equine Rescue Scams forum:

I know you must be shaking your head by now in sheer incredulity and thinking, "Is this really one and the same person? How can she claim to be a professional and yet write such vile, nasty diatribes against others? And why would she support a 501c3 nonprofit that clearly is NOT in it for the animals??"

I can tell you quite honestly that I really don't have all the answers, but there obviously has to be something in it for Ms. Hanna to support, aid and abet an organization that is not what it appears to be on the surface. That something is the almighty dollar, and Christy Sheidy clearly isn't hurting for the green stuff. Keep in mind that she reported almost a million dollars to the IRS for the fiscal year 2010, the very last year that AC4h filed a 990 return, and I would bet you that Christy has been paying Ms. Hanna and others to carry out her dirty work, including, but not limited to, digging up dirt on its detractors as well as carrying out a smear campaign to discredit and intimidate them, including me. 

I have been waging war with these people for over three years-- a war that started over a horse pulled out of Camelot by an equally shady horse rescue, Voice for Horses, founded and run by Diana Jo Murphy out of Toledo, Ohio, and who was, unbeknownst to me at the time, in cahoots with Christy Sheidy to fundraise for horses bought by Brian Moore out of New Holland, the notorious horse and livestock auction in Lancaster County, PA. 

Ever since I started speaking out against these two sham "rescues" in the early part of 2010,  Cheryl, Christy, Lisa Drahorad,  Colleen Cramblet, Lori Leach, Sharon Stone, and others have been painting me as an opportunistic Internet scam artist, a filthy pig, animal abuser and neglector ad nauseam, and calling me such vile names as "Skank", "Schlopp", "Sally Scag", and so on. They've even gone so far as to post links to my "animal abuser" past -- chiefly,  Cheryl's Examiner.com article about the seizure of my pets by animal control-- to animal welfare Facebook pages and warning rescue groups not to adopt out dogs and cats out to me. 

The truth is, they have absolutely no documented proof whatsoever to back up their allegations that I ever abused or neglected my pets. Did I ever beat or torture my pets? NO. Did I ever deny my pets food, water, shelter or veterinary care when they needed it? NO. Did I have my pets spayed and neutered? YES--with one exception, and that is, one of my female dogs went into heat before I had a chance to get her spayed, and a stray dog in the neighborhood jumped the fence. She became pregnant, but I took her in to a spay/neuter clinic and had the pregnancy terminated, so she never delivered a litter. Did my pets have fleas and tapeworms? YES. What pet owner doesn't have battles with those pesky pests every spring and summer?

I will tell you point blank that I was cited by animal control, but NEVER for abuse or anything to that effect. I was cited for owning too many pets over the city's limit of four per household, a barking dog nuisance and owning a 'dangerous' dog--my boxer, of all things-- all she was doing that day when the ACO paid a visit was running back and forth alongside my fence and jumping up and down. Absolutely NO citations were ever issued for abuse/neglect. If that were the case, why didn't animal control seize my pets right then and there? If there had been clearcut evidence of such, that is exactly what they would have done--but they didn't. Anyone with an iota of common sense would realize that.

My pets were not seized until the day I was evicted from my home by a codes enforcement officer who told me to my face that he was acting upon orders received in an email from a property management company hired by Wells Fargo to kick me out. I was never arrested, tried and convicted for animal abuse, as Christy's people would have you believe. What DID happen was that I appeared in court as scheduled, and made a plea bargain with the prosecutor so that I would not have to pay the fines. That is IT. PERIOD. 

I will point out that the photo accompanying Cheryl Hanna's Examiner.com article about the seizure of my pets is not of the Olathe animal shelter; it is a stock photo of a shelter and not the actual one in question. I should know; I've been to that shelter many times. They also have never produced actual photos of my pets to prove their allegations.

What it all is this: a gigantic smoke screen to divert and deflect attention away from Another Chance 4 Horses and its scam by Cheryl Hanna and the others, but it's an abject failure because too many people have been victimized over the years, and with the FBI investigation in full swing, more are looking at this "rescue" with a jaundiced eye and warning others to steer clear.

It's just common sense to realize that if a nonprofit's representatives treat people the way that Cheryl Hanna and others do, with nasty insults, intimidating tactics and harassment, etc., as well as blocking them from further posting on Facebook, then this is an organization you do not want to get involved with, as much as the horses' plight in the broker lot might tug on your heartstrings. After all, if officials of the American Red Cross or St. Jude's Research Hospital treated the public in similar fashion, people would have absolutely no qualms about taking their money elsewhere.

It also bears keeping in mind that if the representatives of an organization behave towards the public the way Christy & Co. does, it typically means they have something major to hide. But with the FBI and IRS digging into their shady activities, it will only be a matter of time before the boulder they've been hiding under is turned over to reveal everything Christy and her associates have been doing--including Cheryl Hanna herself, who is in deep denial about being investigated by the FBI.  She's in for a very rude awakening.

So there you have it about the person behind the National Pet Rescue Examiner Facebook page: a spiteful, cruel, arrogant and condescending individual who is helping Christy Sheidy facilitate a multi-million dollar scam and exploiting sick, emaciated, lame and elderly horses for profit--horses that would never pass muster at the Canadian slaughter plants despite their insistent claims that they are, indeed, in danger of shipping. 

Soo, that page ain't what it appears to be, but a gigantic smoke screen for the person running it to make herself look squeaky clean. I daresay you'll never look at it again in the same light as before.

EXPOSED!

P.S. For those who aren't familiar with Another Chance 4 Horses in Bernville, PA, here's a link to the TV news story about the April 30 raid on 166 Station Road by the FBI:

FBI Raid on AC4h

MEMO TO CHRISTY & CO.: Read this and weep!

As many of you know, the federal government recently shut down and sent many employees home without pay or benefits because of a Congressional impasse over the budget. When I heard about it, I was wondering if perhaps the FBI investigation, spearheaded by Agent Charlene Trux in Allentown, PA, into the criminal activities of Christy Sheidy and her associates, was being negatively impacted by the shutdown. This afternoon, with that thought in mind, I fired off a short email to Agent Trux. She responded almost immediately and simply said, "Proceeding as usual." Here's the screenshot of the email between us as proof:

Great news indeed for all of those who have had their life savings stolen and hearts cruelly ripped to shreds by this avaricious band of shady horse dealers and thieves. In the meantime, the karma bus is standing by, waiting for the signal.

 I hope I made your weekend. I for one have a Cheshire cat grin on my face which will not be wiped off anytime soon, no matter how hard her associates might try!