BALTIMORE — It was portrayed as an effort to preserve Whites Hall, the childhood home of famed Marylander Johns Hopkins.
The Maryland Secretary of State and Attorney General's Office says donors were misled.
On Tuesday the state settled with Johns Hopkins House, Inc., a non-profit founded by Robert S. Brown, who claimed to be establishing scholarships and a museum in Hopkins' honor.
Brown was ordered to permanently shut down the organization, ceasing all charitable soliciting in Maryland.
In 2023 investigators accused Brown of advertising and selling tickets to fundraisers for the Johns Hopkins House.
According to the state, the events were never held, while Brown used some of the money raised to pay for his own living expenses.
By January 2024 Hopkins House, Inc. lost Whites Hall to foreclosure.
“Charities that abuse the trust of their donors undercut the public’s confidence in charities as a whole, making it harder for well-meaning organizations to perform the invaluable work our communities rely on,” said Maryland Secretary of State Susan Lee.
