Humanitarian fraudster convicted

Poul Jørgensen, one of the leading members of the Tvind humanitarian group, was found guilty of fraud on Tuesday by the Eastern High Court.

Jørgensen had been one of six members of the controversial aid and educational organisation to have been acquitted of the same charge by a district court in September 2006. A seventh member, Sten Byrner, was found guilty and given a one-year conditional sentence.

Prosecutors appealed the verdicts of the district court, but five of the remaining Tvind members, including the organisation's founder and leader, Mogens Amdi Petersen, disappeared shortly after the 2006 trial. The five are now wanted by Interpol and stand to face further charges in the High Court.

Jørgensen was sentenced to two and a half years imprisonment for being part of a comprehensive fraud operation that involved the establishment of a humanitarian foundation where money taken in was channelled to the organisation's private businesses and never declared for tax purposes.

The court determined that Jorgensen was the main person responsible for the fund, which profited from 18 million kroner in embezzled funds and 22 million more in untaxed income.

Prosecutors say they still hope to find Petersen, his partner Kirsten Larsen and the other three Tvind members in hiding and bring them to justice.

Facts

• The Tvind Corporation began as the Tvind travelling school, an educational system based on the concept of a rural collective. The school was seen as a pioneer in social development and environmental projects.

• After receiving considerable public funding, the school expanded internationally under The Teachers Group, eventually becoming a global corporation.

• Aid organisation Humana People to People is an offshoot of the Tvind Corporation.

• Petersen allegedly owned two luxury apartments in Miami and one of the world's largest yachts.

• Tvind has often been referred to as a cult, due to its alleged use of force to ensure its 'collective' status.

See Also

Tvind operates under the following names:

• Humana People-to-People
• Planet Aid
• Campus California TG
• The Institute for International Cooperation and Development, IICD (USA & Canada)
• International Education Co-operation (China)
• One World Volunteer Institute (Norway)
• KwaZulu Natal Experimental College (S Africa)
• DAPP
• UFF
• NetUp
• The College for International Cooperation and Development
• CICD (UK)
• Green World Recycling
• The Gaia-movement Trust
• Yunnan Institute of Development (China)
• The Travelling Folk High School
• The Necessary Teacher Training College
• and more

- Research resources on Tvind

Full story: Spokesman for controversial organisation Tvind convicted of fraud

OAKLAND — George Kwon thought he was doing his part to help less fortunate children in Africa when he agreed to let a nonprofit organization called Campus California TG place a green, metal clothing-collection box on his business property at 41st Street and Broadway.

But questions abound about the validity of Campus California TG (Teachers Group), which says it collected 3.2million pounds of donated clothing — worth about $800,000 — from 300 boxes last year.

The organization, which operates a small school in Siskiyou County that prepares people for humanitarian work in Africa and Central America, had to remove more than 30 boxes — 20 from Berkeley alone — following a "30 Minutes Bay Area" investigation that aired on KPIX-TV Channel 5 in December 2006.

The piece reported that CCTG was controlled by Tvind, a worldwide network founded in Denmark as an alternative educational movement in the 1970s, but whose founder and subsidiaries have been under investigation for fraud and corruption in Europe.

The "30 Minutes" piece said the proceeds from CCTG's clothing-collection efforts in California are funneled to Tvind's sister organizations and used to enrich the organization's leaders — with little benefit to the poor.

Karen Boyd, assistant to Oakland City Administrator Deborah Edgerly, said she is creating a team of public works, code enforcement and city attorney's office personnel to deal with the recent re-appearance of the drop-off boxes.

"We are aware these boxes are popping up again," Boyd said. "They don't have permits, so they are not authorized to operate. They don't pay business taxes and they don't have encroachment permits to be in the right of way.

"The word is getting out, this company may not be what it appears," Boyd added.

Jan Sako, 29, a manager with CCTG who is in charge of the clothing-collection operation, said the television story was misleading. He said that all proceeds from the clothing-collection operation cover operating expenses for the organization's school in Etna, as well as the clothing-collection operation in the Bay Area.

The organization does not claim to send direct aid to Africa, he said. Rather, it runs a 14-month program to train and send volunteers to Africa to help educate people about HIV/AIDS transmission and environmental issues.

Each student pays $3,800 in tuition, but it actually costs $10,500 for room and board during the six-month training period in the United States, travel to and from Africa, insurance and immunizations, Sako said.

Once in Africa, the students work for a nonprofit organization run by Humana, which was formed by the Tvind Teachers Group, and Humana pays their expenses — usually for four to six months, Sako said.

None of the recycling money goes to Humana or Tvind, nor is CCTG a subsidiary of either organization, Sako said.

According to its last Form 990 filing with the IRS in 2005, CCTG listed as its objective for 2006 to expand its clothing-collection system in the Bay Area "to consist of 300 drop-off boxes."

The organization has already exceeded that goal, Sako said, with about 350 boxes around the Bay Area and plans to place 40 more next month. There are 14 boxes in Oakland so far.

The green boxes seem to appear almost overnight, usually placed with the consent of the property owner. The bins are emptied once or more per week, Sako said.

Hamdan Al-Awdi allowed a box to be placed on the sidewalk in front of his corner market at Apgar and West streets. He said people frequently leave clothing in the box, and he often has to pick up items left on the curb after the boxes fill up.

A box in front of the Great Harvest Bread Co. on College Avenue was removed last year. Oakland Councilmember Jane Brunner's office told the company that it either needed to obtain an encroachment permit or remove it, but Sako said CCTG removed it after the bakery owner asked it to.

Kwon, owner of Precision Tune Auto Care, said he allowed CCTG to place the box on his property before Christmas because he was told that a majority of the money — as much as 80 percent — goes toward helping African children.

Kwon said he is often skeptical of other charitable organizations because he fears a large share of public donations goes to pay salaries.

"How would I feel if (that wasn't true)? How would you feel?" Kwon said. "I'm just trying to give something back to society. I think people are very skeptical ... I like to look at the cup as half full ... If everybody is afraid, nobody does anything."

Councilmember Pat Kernighan (Grand Lake-Chinatown), said she thought the boxes could be removed without getting too heavy-handed about it, likely by educating property owners about the background of the charity.

"Somebody ought to bring an action or file a complaint about (CCTG's) nonprofit status," she said.

Sako, who said he traveled to Mozambique as part of the CCTG program, has been in charge of the clothing-collection operation since 2006. With the exception of San Francisco, boxes have been placed in cities throughout the Bay Area. He said CCTG asks every city's planning department whether permits or licenses are required.

In many cases the consent of the property owner is enough, he said, although there are exceptions. San Rafael, for example, charges a permit fee of $1,200 to $1,500 per box, he said. Permits in Berkeley now require a public hearing, something Sako said CCTG did not want to endure.

"Our general policy ... is all these permits cost money," Sako said, adding that such costs cut into CCTG's only source of income. The nonprofit would rather place the bins where they are welcome and where CCTG doesn't have to pay, he said.

According to CCTG, the organization collects the clothes and takes them to its warehouse in Richmond. The garments are placed in 1,000-pound bales and sold to brokers for 25 cents a pound. Executives of one brokerage company, Garson and Shaw, are Tvind members, the "30 Minutes Bay Area" report said.

Full story: Doubts linger about how clothing-collection funds are used; nonprofit still under scrutiny

A charity that is collecting more than 4 tons of clothing each week in Lackawanna County has been the subject of national criticism for its practices and was given a grade of "F" by the American Institute of Philanthropy.

The arrival of Planet Aid, which began placing its yellow collection boxes in the area about six months ago, has apparently led to significant decreases in clothing donations to the Scranton Corps of the Salvation Army. The decrease — 25 to 30 percent in the past year — has Salvation Army officials concerned about having enough clothing for thrift shops and outfitting area people in need.

Red boxes, which also started to arrive about six months ago, are causing concern for Salvation Army officials as well. U'SAgain, a for-profit clothing collection company with ties to Planet Aid, now has 15 to 20 boxes in the Scranton area.

Planet Aid organizers refute criticism of the group's practices and say any negative effects on other charities are unintended.

Clothing collected in Planet Aid's 11,000 boxes nationwide is resold around the world, with proceeds going to community development projects in Africa and Asia. The organization was started 10 years ago and is based in Holliston, Mass.

There are now 26 donation bins in Lackawanna and Luzerne counties. Most are placed outside gas stations or convenience stores.

The local response has been "quite good," said Jostein Pedersen, a manager for Planet Aid. "From our side, we are very happy with it."

In the next two months, Planet Aid officials hope to add 15 to 20 boxes across Northeastern Pennsylvania. Local businesses are paid between $400 and $600 a year to host the bins, Mr. Pedersen said.

For the clothing that is collected and resold, the proceeds go to development in other countries, according to the organization.

Planet Aid's stated objectives include:

• Emergency and disaster relief: serving victims of hunger, war and natural disasters.

• Development: serving poor nations and undertaking development projects.

• Protection of the natural habitat: serving threatened elements of the Earth's atmosphere.

'F-rated' charity

The American Institute of Philanthropy, however, questions whether Planet Aid is meeting its stated objectives. In its December "Charity Rating Guide & Watchdog Report," the institute gave Planet Aid an "F." The grade is due in part to the institute's evaluation of how much of Planet Aid's expenses are spent on charitable programs, which the institute reports is 31 percent. The institute's goal for charities is 60 percent or greater.

In addition, it costs Planet Aid $73 to raise $100, according to the institute's report. The institute maintains that $35 or less to raise $100 is reasonable.

The institute and Planet Aid have different opinions on how much money goes to charitable causes.

According to Planet Aid's 2006 financial statement, the charity took in $20 million of revenue, and $18.1 million went to charitable causes. Where the institute and charity differ is whether the $12.6 million for clothing collection is a charitable cause.

The clothing collection is "protection of the natural habitat," according to Planet Aid's IRS tax forms. Planet Aid recycled about 36,000 tons of used clothing, "thus relieving local waste facilities and providing funds to support international aid programs."

But the Institute of Philanthropy disagrees, saying that instead of Planet Aid claiming $18.1 million in charitable causes, only the international aid, or $5.4 million, should be counted.

"We don't buy their arguments that they're an environmental charity," said Daniel Borochoff, the institute's president and founder.

If Planet Aid is concerned about the environment, there are more wasteful items than clothing that could be collected, he said. And reselling clothes is the way Planet Aid earns its revenue — and is not itself a charitable act, Mr. Borochoff said.

"I don't think too many people, when they're putting their clothes into these bins, are thinking, 'Wow, I want the value of these bins to go toward more bins," Mr. Borochoff said. "It's kind of sad that if you give money or clothes to this group, that only 31 percent could benefit someone."

Jay Allen, operations manager for Planet Aid New England, said the institute is ignoring the facts.

"We're well aware of (the institute), and I don't have an explanation of why they do what they do," Mr. Allen said, who added that it's not fair to compare Planet Aid to other charities, such as the United Way.

Because most of Planet Aid's revenue comes from clothing sales and not cash donations, more has to be spent on getting that revenue, Mr. Allen said.

"It's extremely expensive to run a huge fleet of trucks and rent warehouses," Mr. Allen said. "We're the best in the nation at what we do."

Other allegations

An Internet search of Planet Aid turned up many blogs and other sites that attempt to tie the outfit to the Teachers Group, a controversial humanitarian organization in Denmark that some observers have labeled a cult.

"I have met and worked with dozens of members of the Teachers Group, and I can assure you it is not a cult," Mr. Allen said, who added that many of the programs that Planet Aid donates to have ties to the Teachers Group.

Some people also have taken issue with Planet Aid forgiving most of its money to programs overseas, Mr. Allen said.

But "Planet Aid is making a concerted effort to start doing work on a local level," Mr. Allen said.

That may include offering a per-pound donation for schools or organizations for clothes collected.

Same group?

Yellow boxes are not the only ones to find their way to Northeastern Pennsylvania recently.

Red boxes, which appear to be the same style and size as Planet Aid boxes, are also now at several locations in the region. The group that placed them there — U'SAgain — is a for-profit company that aims to reduce waste by recycling and reselling clothes.

Will Albrecht, general manager for U'SAgain in Pennsylvania, could not immediately provide the locations of the 15 to 20 Scranton-area boxes, but said he expects them to be successful because of the way U'SAgain conducts business. Because the company is for-profit, it can spend more money hiring drivers to ensure donation sites are kept clean, Mr. Albrecht said.

The location of the boxes will also be beneficial, he said.

"People, if it's not right on their regular route and they have to go out of their way, they'd just as soon throw (clothes) away," he said.

Mr. Albrecht and Mr. Allen acknowledged Planet Aid and U'SAgain were linked, but both said they were unaware of the specifics.

While neither of the groups' Web sites contains any mentions of a relationship, a domain registration search shows that the Web sites — www.planetaid.org and www.usagain2.com — were likely created on the same network in Denmark.

Local impact

One million pounds.

That's how much Salvation Army donations have decreased by in 2007. Officials say that's due, at least in part, to the arrival of Planet Aid and U'SAgain donation boxes in Northeastern Pennsylvania.

"They're taking a lot of donations away from us," said Major Joseph White, Scranton center administrator. "They're starting to take a toll on us."

In one year, the center usually collects 3.5 million pounds of clothes in the region. Only 2.5 million has been collected this year.

Kevin Mitchell, general supervisor for donations at the local Salvation Army, has seen people, instead of dropping off their donations at the Salvation Army's River Street location, stop a few blocks short and deposit their bags of clothes in one of Planet Aid's big yellow boxes.

"Our donors are coming straight to them," Mr. Mitchell said, adding that with so many Planet Aid box locations, it can be easier for people just to make their donation there.

When told of the Salvation Army's dwindling donations, Mr. Allen said that was not Planet Aid's intention.

"We never want to go into another community and hurt another non-profit," Mr. Allen said. "We have enormous respect for the Salvation Army. They do fantastic work."

Major White said before people donate, he wants them to look into who is reaping the benefits from the donations.

"I think the public just sees the boxes," Major White said. "The money isn't staying here to the help the community."

Full story: Planet Aid charity comes under fire

There are hundreds of charities asking for your donations, each of them competing for your generosity.

Local charity, Planet Aid, collected 58-million pounds of clothing in one year alone and you may be surprised about where your donation is really going.

You've seen them around the Delaware Valley, clothing donation bins to help the poor, but you're about to find out these boxes are not all the same.

Because one local organization may be profiting off those clothes you donate.

"What they want to do is make themselves look like a non-profit," Goodwill's Mark Boyd told us.

And the secret ways that group is using the money, to fund unorthodox schools, have led some to call them a cult.

"There were subjects like watch a DVD on Battlestar Gallactica," said one student of one of the schools affiliated with Planet Aid.

For more than 100 years, Goodwill Industries has collected clothing to benefit their job training and education programs.

But lately, people there have seen a hit on their collections.

"We are struggling to maintain our historical level of donations," said Boyd.

And it could be these bright yellow boxes that are hurting the most.

These yellow bins are owned by an organization called Planet Aid. There are 500 of them in our area; at gas stations, grocery stores and on sidewalks. Nationally, the organization collects 58 million pounds of clothes a year.

Kai Nielson works for Planet Aid in Philadelphia.

"Is planet aid for profit or not for profit?" asked Jim Osman.

"We are not for profit," responded Nielson.

But as you'll see what the organization says it is and what it does may be far different than reality.

Planet Aid is a registered charity with the IRS. The fine print on the boxes explains that donations collected are then sold and the proceeds support Planet Aid projects around the world, and their own promotion video shows children in Africa benefiting from food donation.

"We donate to a variety of programs, but one of the big programs that we send money to is teacher training colleges," said Nielson.

So called Training Colleges that are not in Africa, but rather California and in Massachusetts, where students are forced to fundraise as part of the curriculum.

"We had to raise in six months about $7,000," said one of the former Teacher Training College students.

And the CBS 3 I-Team has learned The American Institute of Philanthropy estimates that only 23-percent of the funds collected through selling those clothes you donate actually goes to the programs Planet Aid claims to support.

The American Institute of Philanthropy gives the charity an "F".

Michael Durham, Tvind Alert Web site, said what's happened over the last 20 years or so is the people that began this and control the organization have moved into a huge profit making organization.

British journalist Michael Durham - after years of research - says the fundraising and profits from the clothing donations are really going to a group called Tvind which has 860 million dollars in assets.

Critics call Tvind a cult because they say it requires members to cut off from family and friends and restricts information from the outside world.

Kai Nelson with Philadelphia's Planet Aid wouldn't address critics directly but defended his organization... saying again the oft-repeated claims that any proceeds go to help the poor in Africa.

"It doesn't concern me, we know where our money goes and we know why we do what we do," said Nielson.

But this long time Philadelphia business owner who agreed to host a Planet Aid box is concerned about what we're exposing.

"Somebody comes for charity and you just let them do it - wow, I can't believe that. I don't think that's fair, especially to people in need," said Phil Esposito of Esposito's Gas.

We contacted the Federal Trade Commission and it was never taken any action against Planet Aid or it's affiliate organizations. Some places are passing laws banning the placement of the donation boxes in their communities. In New Jersey, under consideration is a bill that would make it more difficult to place a box without providing more information on the charity.

Full story: Planet Aid Investigation

A mysterious "cult-like" charity led by a millionaire fugitive is scouting in Wellington for volunteers to work in Africa.

Posters around the city are appealing for Kiwis to study through the Humana People to People programme to become "development instructors" working with street kids and HIV/Aids sufferers in Mozambique, Namibia,

Humana is affiliated to the worldwide Tvind network, described in a recent court case in Denmark as a $500 million maze of charities and companies active in 55 countries.

Former members of the group in Britain have reported being held captive, watching brainwashed friends suffer physical and emotional abuse, and seeing the proceeds of fundraising siphoned away from charitable activities.

The Humana posters advertise a six-month training course at one of four schools - in California, Michigan, Massachusetts and St Vincent in the Caribbean - followed by six to 12 months in Africa and another two months' schooling.

Tuition at the schools costs US$4050 (NZ$5890).

US media reported recently that students were required to raise a further US$7000 (NZ$10,200) to get to Africa.

In 2003, The Guardian newspaper described the founder of the "cult-like organisation", Mogens Amdi Pedersen of Denmark, as "a kind of hippie guru, a revolutionary firebrand who preached a Maoist-inspired gospel of social renewal."

Other mainstream media reports in Britain and the US have called Tvind a sinister, secular cult and a corrupt left-wing sect.

Attempts to contact Humana for comment about their New Zealand operations were unsuccessful.

In August, Mr Pedersen and other Tvind leaders were acquitted in Denmark of embezzlement and tax fraud charges worth $48 million.

The organisation's financial controller was found guilty.

As the Danish public prosector announced he would appeal the not guilty verdicts, the media reported most of the defendants, including Mr Pedersen, had fled the country.

Tvind has repeatedly run foul of European authorities in the past decade.

In 1999, its British operations were effectively shut down by the Charity Commission over concerns money was not being used for its intended purpose.

New Zealander Ian Mander, who runs the website cults.co.nz, said because of the way Humana had previously treated its students and handled money, it should be approached "with extreme caution".

"It's a serious concern that this group is operating in New Zealand."

Full story: Cult-like mystery charity looking to recruit

One of the country's most elusive men was spotted on the streets of Singapore by a Danish school teacher.

Still eluding Danish authorities, Tvind Humanitarian Fund founder Mogens Amdi Petersen was spotted in Singapore this past week by a Danish teacher.

Petersen was seen with Kirsten Larsen, another of the organisation's seven leaders who were acquitted of fraud earlier this year. Prosecutors now have additional evidence against them and are planning a new trial.

Two of the seven have been served their writs, but police have been unable to locate the remaining five and are assumed to have fled Denmark.

After recognising Petersen in Singapore, the man asked him in English what his name was. He said Petersen pretended not to understand, but then tapped the teacher's hat in acknowledgement of being found out.

Tvind's leadership came under investigation in 2000, when a former employee alleged the group had misused the organisation's tax-exempt status to embezzle DKK 70 million.

Suspicions of fraud in Tvind were rife already in the late 1970s, and the founder's whereabouts were unknown from 1979 until 2001 when he was found living the high life in Florida. US authorities caught up with him in Los Angeles in 2002, however, and he was subsequently extradited to Denmark.

The Tvind Humanitarian Fund was originally founded by Petersen in the 1970s as an ideological organisation for social development projects and environmental experiments that included a network of schools, industries and agricultural productions throughout the world.

The man has notified the Danish police about the sighting.

Full story: Tvind founder seen in Singapore

Donor bins are a big business. But the nonprofit collecting clothes in the area has ties to a network that's facing worldwide scrutiny.

The big green bins make big green promises: Donate old sneakers and help save a barrier reef. Give threadbare T-shirts and protect the mangroves. Offer out-of-style sweaters and support renewable energy.

More than 100 such bins have been set up alongside Sacramento sidewalks, storefronts and strip malls in the past year by a charity called Gaia-Movement Living Earth Green World Action. The Chicago-based nonprofit sells the donated goods to finance environmental projects around the world.

What Gaia doesn't advertise is that the used clothes also raise money for a vast, international used clothing empire whose finances are so inscrutable, several European governments have lost confidence in charitable claims of this network -- known as Tvind.

European authorities have cracked down on Tvind over the past decade. France and the Netherlands rescinded the licenses of one of its used clothing charities because investigators couldn't follow the money. The United Kingdom took control of a Tvind charity's assets for similar reasons. And Denmark accused eight Tvind leaders of running an embezzlement and criminal tax evasion scheme that channelled millions of humanitarian dollars into profit-making ventures. All but one of the defendants were acquitted at trial this summer.

Meanwhile, the Tvind network has extended its reach in the United States, particularly Northern California.

The group relied upon Gaia, one of its largest U.S.-based charities, to place used clothing bins in Sacramento and the Bay Area. Tvind also opened a school on the outskirts of Etna, a Siskiyou County logging town, to recruit and train volunteers for environmental and educational projects in poor countries.

Gaia officials in Chicago didn't return phone calls, and Tvind doesn't have a central office to respond to questions.

The group's local leaders acknowledged that Tvind is big business, but said they've seen the group's good works with their eyes: Trees planted in Mozambique. Health education in Nicaragua. AIDS outreach in Namibia. The bins also keep old clothes out of landfills.

"The top guys can get into trouble in any corporation," said Bernie Banderas, who volunteered in Mozambique last year and now manages Gaia's growing Sacramento operation. "They do have a humanitarian heart. It's just that the group operates a little differently than a church or the Peace Corps."

The big green bins

Standing more than 6 feet tall and resembling giant metal mailboxes, the Gaia bins are hard to miss in Sacramento. Placing them is easy. All the charity needs is a property owner's permission.

Kim Hanks, a self-described environmentalist, spied a bin outside the Uptown Market on Capitol Avenue a month ago. She liked Gaia's idealistic message.

"It's very convenient," said Hanks, a 42-year-old state worker who donated a garbage bag full of old sweaters and socks that had been taking up space in her closet. "At the very least, it keeps it from going into the landfill."

About 20,000 pounds of clothes are dumped into Sacramento's bins every week, Banderas said. Some of it is sold to local thrift stores. Most of it is shipped and sold abroad, tapping a booming market for Western styles and raising money for Tvind.

"There's a huge demand for American fashion, especially in places like Japan and Brazil," said Banderas, who was tossing garbage bags of clothes into a moving truck last week outside Rico's Pizza on Northgate Blvd. "That stuff sitting in your closet is worth more than you think."

Gaia says it then uses the revenue -- more than $1 million through the Chicago office alone in 2004, according to the most recent tax records -- to support environmental programs. But tax records don't show how much money was spent on specific programs.

Army of volunteers

Much of Tvind's labor is supplied by a small army of volunteers. Many are idealistic 20-somethings looking for a chance to travel and help the world's poor.

Volunteers get six months of language and cultural training at one of Tvind's three schools in the United States. They are then sent abroad to help with aid efforts.

Tvind's newest school -- Campus California TG -- opened five years ago in an old, dormlike U.S. Forest Service building in Etna. African art hangs from the walls. Bob Marley tunes waft from the stereos.

The students live, eat and study together.

And raise funds.

After paying $3,300 for tuition, students must raise $7,000 before going overseas.

Yeun Joo Hwang, a 26-year-old from South Korea who discovered Campus California on the Internet, credits the school with broadening her cultural awareness. She recently returned to California from Namibia, where she lived in a hut for five months and rode a bike through the countryside distributing information about AIDS.

But she said the focus on fundraising is frustrating.

Within two weeks of her initial arrival in California, campus officials sent her to San Francisco to solicit donations on the street and secure new spaces for bins -- even though she spoke little English.

"I just memorized the words" of the sales pitch, said Hwang, who now speaks English fluently. "If somebody asked me a question, I just smile."

Josephine Johnson, a Denmark native who oversees the Etna campus, said language and cultural classes take precedence. But, "we're trying to improve the lives of people in these countries, and we can't support our programs without money," she said.

Some of Tvind's efforts have fared better than others.

Zahara Heckscher, an editor of Transitions Abroad magazine, worked on a Tvind tree-planting project in Mozambique in the late 1980s. She returned to Mozambique 10 years later while researching a book on overseas volunteering. To her dismay, every tree had died. They had not been suited to the climate.

Heckscher, whose book includes a chapter on Tvind, said many of Tvind's programs are marred by poor planning. For instance, she said some Tvind volunteers are sent abroad on tourist visas, which can cause problems if the host country finds them working.

"I can't say they don't do some good," Heckscher said. "But the staff who join aren't well-trained, there's sloppy planning, and some of the programs aren't culturally appropriate."

Banderas, the Gaia manager in Sacramento, had nothing but praise for the program he volunteered for in Mozambique. He and other volunteers distributed information about AIDS to villagers and handed out soybean flour.

"When you go there and see young people from all over the world pulling together to get something done, it's really awesome," he said.

Tainted history

Understanding Tvind -- its structure, scope and finances -- has become a career-long pursuit for government investigators and journalists in Europe.

Founded in Denmark in 1970 by a collective of idealistic teachers espousing a revolutionary creed to end global poverty, Tvind gradually evolved into a $100 million labyrinth of charities and for-profit companies spanning some 55 countries, according to court records filed in the criminal case in Denmark.

Affiliated outfits operate under a dizzying array of names: Gaia, Humana People to People, U'SAgain and Planet Aid, to name a few. These organizations share executives, and money is often moved among the enterprises, which extend far beyond clothes collection.

Tvind's Institute for Scientific Research and Applied Sciences offers a window into the group's convoluted nature, Danish prosecutors write in court documents available on the Internet. Tvind members founded the institute in 1987 to examine "the real distance between the general level of the sciences and its advantages to the general population, especially in the Third World." But the institute has no employees, and Tvind members couldn't show that it had conducted any research. Prosecutors alleged that the institute was established to launder money.

Overseeing it all, according to prosecutors, is Tvind's founder, a self-described revolutionary named Mogens Amdi Pedersen. He is surrounded by a cadre of loyal deputies who embrace a "collective economy" philosophy and are asked to turn their financial resources over to the group, according to prosecutors. The collective financing and strict hierarchy of Tvind's inner circle -- called the Teachers Group -- led Danish prosecutors to label the group as a secular cult.

European authorities started investigating Pedersen's empire in the late 1970s. But the leader went underground, according to news reports. Pedersen's whereabouts were unknown until 2001, when a pair of Danish investigative reporters found him living in a $6 million apartment on an island off the Florida coast. Pedersen was arrested on tax fraud and embezzlement charges a year later and extradited to Denmark on a warrant issued by Interpol, the international police agency.

In August, in a case that was front-page news in many parts of Europe, Pedersen and seven of his lieutenants were acquitted by a jury of the embezzlement and tax fraud charges. Tvind's financial director was found guilty of embezzling $10 million and received a suspended sentence. The case is under appeal.

Full story: Controversial charity extends reach in US

The leader and four other members of the Tvind humanitarian organisation have disappeared prior to a new fraud trial.

Police are again looking for the leaders of the Tvind Humanitarian Fund. They fear the group - which is facing a new embezzlement trial - may have fled the country.

Police are attempting to serve writs on the five members, four of whom were found innocent of tax evasion and embezzlement by a district court last month. Prosecutors appealed that decision and believe they have enough additional evidence for a conviction.

An international alert for the five has been issued, but the public prosecutor would not confirm whether foreign authorities have been authorised to detain them.

The police have succeeded in serving writs on one Tvind member, spokesman Poul Jorgensen, who was still at his residence in Jutland. The one member found guilty earlier this year, Sten Byrner, was given a suspended sentence and is now among the missing.

Tvind Humanitarian Fund was set up in 1977 by Mogens Amdi Petersen, now 67, as a worldwide charitable aid organisation that later included affiliates such as Humana People to People and Planet Aid.

The disappearing act is not the first for Petersen. Danish officials were unaware of his whereabouts from 1979 to 2001, when he was found living a life of luxury in Florida.

Petersen and seven other Tvind officials came under investigation in 2000, when a former teacher at one of its schools alleged the group had misused the organisation's tax-exempt status to embezzle DKK 70 million.

The group was officially charged in 2002 for defrauding the Tvind organisation of $75 million.

Full story: Tvind boss again on the run