Charities say they're not affiliated with telephone fund-raising firm

<br>TULSA, Okla. (AP) _ Officials from some of the charities that a Tulsa telephone solicitation company claims to raise money say they've never heard of the company and aren't aware of the donations.

Sunday, January 5th 2003, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

TULSA, Okla. (AP) _ Officials from some of the charities that a Tulsa telephone solicitation company claims to raise money say they've never heard of the company and aren't aware of the donations.

The organization, St. Matthew's Ministries Outreach Program, operates from a downtown Tulsa office building and is not registered as a nonprofit, according to tax documents.

David Stell, a spokesman for the IRS' Oklahoma office, said there is no tax-exempt organization named St. Matthew's Ministries Outreach Program registered in Oklahoma. Stell said a tax identification number that the organization gave to its employees is not tied to the company.

According to a script given to employees, St. Matthew's says it raises money for Restore Hope Outreach, Indian Healthcare Resource, Maternal Child Health Center, St. Matthew's Ministries, Catholic Charities, United Methodist Ministries and St. Trinity Episcopal. It also claims that donations are tax-deductible.

Officials from some of the groups listed in the script said they had no connection with the fund-raising effort, the Tulsa World reported in Sunday's editions.

``I have never heard of them,'' said Emily Bolusky, a spokeswoman for the Indian Healthcare Resource Center in Tulsa.

Henry Harder, a spokesman for the Catholic Diocese of Tulsa, said St. Matthew's Ministries is not authorized to accept donations for Catholic Charities in Tulsa.

St. Matthew Publishing raised $26 million in 1999, according to federal tax forms, and paid nearly $1.5 million in salary and fees to top corporate officers who live in California.

The Tulsa office was subleased by Mail Services Inc., according to leasing information. Mail Services Inc. once processed mail for St. Matthew Publishing Inc., a registered nonprofit represented by Tulsa attorney J.C. Joyce.

Joyce said there is no connection between St. Matthew Publishing Inc. and St. Matthew's Ministries Outreach Program. Joyce said St. Matthew Publishing is a church that mails religious material and does not solicit money.

He said he has requested an investigation by the U.S. Postal Inspector's Office.

Records with the Oklahoma Secretary of State's Office show that the registered agent for Mail Services Inc. is Dwayne C. Pollard, Joyce's law partner who died in 1999, and that the company's mailing address is the same as the Joyce&Pollard law firm.