Jim Bunning Foundation accused of fraud

Louisville Mojo website:

Joe Conason in Salon is calling for an investigation into The Jim Bunning Foundation, which has been accused by a growing number of serious observers as being ethically shaky at best - and at worst, an outright scam and a fraud. From Salon:

Ever since he was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame, Bunning has operated this phony “charitable” operation as a front for his business selling autographed balls. As this outfit's sole employee, working one hour a week, he has paid himself hundreds of thousands of dollars over the past 10 years — considerably more than the amount donated to any actual charity.Not only does he exploit a charitable foundation to avoid taxes and ethics rules while greasing his own palm; he actually put a Washington lobbyist on the foundation board — and then arranged budget earmarks for clients of that same lobbyist, who oversees his self-dealing scam.

Watchdog groups are accusing Bunning's foundation of violating Senate ethics and IRS rules regarding outside income for members of Congress and legitimate uses for tax-exempt charities. Furthermore, as a paid employee, Bunning isn't really supposed to be dominating the foundation's board.