Tareq and Michaele Salahi’s signature social event, the annual Land Rover America’s Polo Cup, bills itself as the “world’s most prestigious and largest ... charity polo event,” benefiting the Salahi-run charity Journey for the Cure. Its next US gala is scheduled for June on the Mall.
The two-day event is to centre on a polo match between the United States, for which Tareq Salahi is the captain, and India. General admission tickets start at $25, “Cartier VIP tickets” are $600 to $1,000, and a lifetime membership is on offer for $100,000.
But many sponsors listed by America’s Cup for 2010 — including Land Rover, Cartier, the St. Regis Hotel in Washington and the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Co. — say they are not sponsors for that event. Many vendors at previous events said in interviews that the Salahis have not paid for their services in the event’s three-year history, expenses totaling about $500,000. Many have filed lawsuits, and the couple has countersued often.
The Journey for the Cure Foundation — the event’s beneficiary — donated $15,000 to its stated causes in 2007, financial disclosure forms show, and none since. The foundation failed to register with state regulators for four years, leading the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to warn consumers earlier this year that contributions “to such an organisation could be used for non-charitable purposes.” The foundation registered two weeks ago.
Meanwhile, the foundation says on its website that it is an “approved charity with Mission Fish,” a non-profit group that helps foundations raise money on eBay. But a Mission Fish vice president said Journey for the Cure was suspended in October over concerns about irregularities with its tax reporting status.
The foundation has also filed conflicting reports about its finances. Last year, $19,000 in donations were reported to state regulators. Amounts that low are not subject to federal tax reporting. The foundation’s website lists $0.00 in online donations so far this year.
The Salahis are shown as the only executives of both America’s Polo Cup and the non-profit foundation. Both list the Salahi home as their business address. Neither the Salahis nor their attorney, Paul W. Gardner, returned phone or e-mail requests for comment for the past two days. In sum, the portrait of the couple’s twin entities is marked by misleading claims.