State fines Pacific Palisades animal rescue $12,000, orders it to cease fundraising
An animal rescue organization that launched a prohibited GoFundMe campaign after its headquarters was destroyed in the devastating Palisades fire has been fined $12,000 by the state and ordered to immediately stop fundraising.
In April, the California Department of Justice filed a cease-and-desist complaint against A Wish For Animals, noting that the rescue’s charitable trust registration had been revoked in 2016, expressly prohibiting it from soliciting donations.
State records show the revocation stemmed from AWFA’s failure to file financial reports and pay renewal fees for the 2009, 2012, and 2013 fiscal years.
AWFA founder and operator Toni Eakes, who also goes by Tonja Eakes, told the Southern California News Group in February that the deadly Palisades fire gutted her rental home in the 900 block of Hartzell Street in Pacific Palisades, which also served as the animal rescue’s base of operation.
In a brief phone interview this week, Eakes denied engaging in illegal fundraising.
“We are not raising funds, and are just trying to help animals,” Eakes said, adding she has hired an attorney and intends to challenge the cease-and-desist order.
The Department of Justice alleges that while AWFA is prohibited from soliciting charitable donations, it continues seeking funds on its website and falsely claims contributions are tax-exempt.
According to the Department of Justice, the Internal Revenue Service has revoked AWFA’s tax-exempt status for failure to file required IRS 990 financial forms.
As of Tuesday, after SCNG inquired about the cease-and-desist order, AWFA scrubbed the reference to its erroneous tax-exempt status from its website.
AWFA raised $19,000 through a GoFundMe account earlier this year to benefit its fire-ravaged headquarters.
GoFundMe abruptly shut down the campaign in February amid complaints, and it remains unknown if any of the money has been refunded to donors.
Members of an animal advocacy Facebook group opposed to AFWA filed complaints against Eakes with GoFundMe and the Department of Justice.
“This action taken by the state AG’s office is a huge step in preserving the integrity of legally registered nonprofits who dedicate their lives to rescue,” group member Sherri Harvey said. “It’s a culmination of many amazing people and nonprofits who fight to protect donors from being defrauded.”
According to Eakes, AWFA has merged with another nonprofit with a separate IRS employment identification number, allowing AWFA to legally solicit charitable donations.
IRS records obtained by SCNG show Eakes is also president of the Love All Animals Organization, which obtained federal tax-exempt status in 2022. That same year, Love All Animals reported to the IRS $235,700 in revenues from adoption fees and grants, with expenditures totaling $214,858.
However, like AWFA, Love All Animals, which also is a rescue organization, was declared delinquent and prohibited by the Department of Justice in 2024 from soliciting and disbursing charitable donations after failing to file annual reports and renew fees.
The state fined AWFA $8,000 for soliciting and receiving donations each year after its registration was revoked, extending from 2016 through 2024.
AWFA has been assessed $3,000 for soliciting funds on its website, through GoFundMe, and at adoption events. It also has been ordered to pay $1,000 for failing to provide an accounting of charitable assets.
Penalties will continue to accrue at $100 per day for every day that AWFA continues to operate.
Additionally, the state has ordered AWFA to provide documentation related to every complaint and refund request, as well as an accounting of monies received and spent since 2015.