Commissioner's Husband Faces Fine in Unlawful Charity Run Fundraising Scandal

A charitable organization run by the spouse of Orange County Commissioner Mayra Uribe could face penalties following a state probe that concluded it had improperly sought contributions.

Following the report from 9 Investigates indicating that the IRS had rescinded All Star Dads' tax-exempt status in May 2024, further investigation revealed that Uribe provided her spouse's charitable organization with numerous complimentary Orange County Skybox tickets for events such as Orlando Magic games. Additionally, records show that All Star Dads neglected to submit their required annual filings according to the IRS website.

Posts on social media indicate that Orange County Skybox tickets for the same events have been given away through raffles organized by All Star Dads during fundraising activities.

Currently, the state claims that the charity did not possess the necessary permit for conducting those fundraising events.

The complaint lodged against All Star Dads by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, which regulates charities at the state level, suggests potential penalties amounting to as much as $5,000. According to this legal action, authorities discovered that All Star Dads allegedly "repeatedly collected donations while falsely claiming status as a 501(c)(3)" entity. Furthermore, the document states that the organization misled people into believing it was a nonprofit exempt from taxes when it had failed to submit the necessary paperwork for three successive years to the federal IRS.

Kevin Sutton messaged 9 Investigates on Tuesday stating that he has asked for an administrative judge to review his case prior to making any payment of fines. Sutton verified that he has shut down the All Star Dads program following their investigation.

On All Star Dads’ Facebook, you can see the many fundraisers All Star Dads hosted and promoted. Just last June, it held its Third Annual Fatherhood Breakfast Fundraiser.

The flyer advertises it as a 501(C)(3) charitable organization and says all proceeds will continue to fund programs through All Star Dads.

According to the IRS website, the entity lost its 501(c)(3) status on May 15, 2024. The records indicate that Kevin Sutton’s group has not filed any paperwork with the IRS since 2020. If an organization does not submit annual filings for three successive years, the IRS will revoke its tax-exempt standing automatically.

The State mentioned that All Star Dads lacked the necessary licensing to seek donations or host such events since 2019. According to the state’s complaint, evidence indicates that All Star Dads also requested contributions via their website. The lawsuit notes that PayPal records demonstrate the group accepted money without proper authorization from the state from 2019 through September 2024.

Nine Investigations discovered that Sutton’s spouse, Commissioner Uribe, listed All-Star Dads as sponsors for various events such as food drives and community gatherings hosted from her county office. These were also advertised via her personal social media pages alongside information regarding fundraising activities organized by All-Star Dads. When attempting to inquire about an ongoing state probe into these matters at the usual location where interviews with other commissioners usually take place—during breaks between meetings—the commissioner responded that asking such questions during a commission session was "unfitting."

“Do you want to answer anything about All-Star Dads? We heard about the state investigation,” Webb said, beginning to ask Commissioner Uribe about the investigation.

"I'm at the BCC. This isn't right," Uribe said to 9 Investigates when County Administrator Byron Brooks gestured for their film crew to depart after they attempted to question Uribe, a public servant, during a recess from an open session.

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