Western Center on Law & Poverty Inc

“The Center experienced a financial loss of $563,362 when fraudulent actors impersonated legitimate recipients of funds and provided falsified payment instructions, leading to the inadvertent wire transfer of funds to unauthorized accounts. Upon discovery of the incident, the Center initiated recovery efforts, reported the matter to law enforcement authorities, conducted a forensic assessment of its email systems, and strengthened its internal controls. In April 2025, the Center successfully recouped $230,317 of the original loss. In June 2025, the Center successfully recouped $333,034. As a result, the net financial loss has been reduced to $11. While this event has had a financial impact, the Center remains committed to safeguarding its assets and ensuring the integrity of its operations. The Center continues to enhance its internal controls and employee training to mitigate future risks.”

“The Form 990 is reviewed by Finance Management staff; then the Form 990 is disbursed to all Board Members for review prior to filing.”

“The conflict of interest policy and disclosure form are distributed each year to board members for review and submission.”

“In determining the compensation of the organization's officers and key employees, the Board and its designees reviewed comparable data, deliberated and made a final decision. To obtain comparability data, the board examines outside organizations' activities, the positions' responsibilities and requirements, the organizations' size and comparable salaries for Executive Directors/CEOs at similar organizations in the nonprofit legal services and advocacy sector.”

“The Form 990 is also available on our website.”

“The organization makes documents available in accordance with the law.”

“Loss event -333,045.”

“The Center experienced a financial loss of $563,362 when fraudulent actors impersonated legitimate recipients of funds and provided falsified payment instructions, leading to the inadvertent wire transfer of funds to unauthorized accounts. Upon discovery of the incident, the Center initiated recovery efforts, reported the matter to law enforcement authorities, conducted a forensic assessment of its email systems, and strengthened its internal controls. In April 2025, the Center successfully recouped $230,317 of the original loss. In June 2025, the Center successfully recouped $333,034. As a result, the net financial loss has been reduced to $11. While this event has had a financial impact, the Center remains committed to safeguarding its assets and ensuring the integrity of its operations. The Center continues to enhance its internal controls and employee training to mitigate future risks.”