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Lance Corporal Stephen Tatum Legal Defense Fund
c/o Christopher M. Odell, Trustee
711 Louisiana Street, Suite 2100
Houston, Texas 77002
DONOR DISCLOSURE STATEMENT
Thank you for considering making a donation to the Lance Corporal
Stephen Tatum Legal Defense Fund (the “Fund”). This Donor Disclosure
Statement is made to donors interested in contributing to the Fund.
Please read this statement carefully. It contains important
information you should know before making a donation to the Fund.
Purpose of the Legal Defense Fund.
The Fund has been established to help defray the legal costs,
including attorneys’ fees and related expenses, incurred by LCpl
Stephen Tatum, an active-duty United States Marine currently under
investigation by the Marine Corps in connection with the reported
incident in Haditha, Iraq.
Use of Contributions: Approved Use of
Funds. The Fund was established with the sole purpose of helping
to ensure LCpl Tatum’s financial access to competent civilian legal
defense. As a result, all donations to the Fund are maintained in an
independently-administered trust account, from which disbursements are
made as needed to pay for LCpl Tatum’s legal fees and related
expenses. Disbursements from the Fund are made directly to LCpl
Tatum’s legal counsel upon receipt of qualified invoices. Because a
significant amount of legal fees were incurred prior to establishment
of the Fund, disbursements have also been authorized to reimburse LCpl
Tatum’s family for verified prior expenditures. No funds received or
administered by the Fund have or shall be disbursed to LCpl Tatum,
directly or indirectly, for any purpose other than payment of
reasonable and necessary legal fees and expenses incurred in
connection with the Haditha investigation and any criminal charges
resulting therefrom. (LCpl Tatum’s civilian defense counsel, the law
firm of Zimmerman & Lavine, P.C., is not connected or affiliated in
any way with the Trustee.)
Not Affiliated with the U.S. Marine
Corps; Donations Not Tax-Deductible. The Fund is not connected
with or recognized by the U.S. Marine Corps in any way, and receives
no funding or support from the government. Additionally, the Fund is
not a 501(c)(3) registered tax-exempt organization under the U.S.
Internal Revenue Code. As a result, donations to the Fund are not
tax-deductible. Donors are advised to confer with their tax advisors
regarding applicable state and/or federal tax implications.
No Fiduciary Obligations to Donors.
Although the Fund is a beneficial trust established to provide for the
legal defense of LCpl Tatum, contributions to the Fund will not create
a trust relationship between the Fund and you or any third party, nor
shall contributions be held in trust for third parties except as
described herein. Neither the Trustee nor the Fund itself will assume
fiduciary obligations to any third party other than the beneficiary,
LCpl Tatum.
Privacy. The Fund will not disclose
the names of donors to the public or to third parties without first
obtaining the permission of the donor, or as required by law. The
Fund reserves the right, however, to publicly disclose “anonymous”
information, such as the total number of donors or the total amount
contributed to the Fund, in the Trustee’s discretion.
Use of Remaining Funds. In the
event that donations to the Fund exceed the total amount of fees and
expenses incurred in LCpl Tatum’s legal defense, the Fund shall
terminate and the remainder of the Fund’s cash on hand shall be
distributed, pro rata, to the other legal defense funds established on
behalf of the Marines in Company K, 3rd Battalion, 1st
Marines, 1st Marine Division who are also under
investigation in the Haditha incident. Should those defense funds
also have terminated, the remainder, if any, shall be contributed in
LCpl Tatum’s name to the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation in
Princeton, New Jersey, a charitable organization dedicated to
supporting Marine families by providing college and vocational school
scholarships to their children. The Fund is not formally associated
with the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation in any way. Donations
made to the Fund will not be returned to the donors.
How to Contribute. All donors to
the Fund must indicate they have read and understand this Statement
and agree to its terms before their contributions will be accepted.
To indicate your agreement, please print, sign, and date this
Statement, and send it to the Fund’s Trustee by mail with your check
or money order to: Lance Corporal Stephen Tatum Legal Defense Fund,
c/o Christopher M. Odell, Fund Administrator and Trustee, 711
Louisiana Street, Suite 2100, Houston, Texas 77002. At this time,
contributions to the Fund may only be made by check or money order.
Please make your check or money order payable to “Lance Corporal
Stephen Tatum Legal Defense Fund.” Contributions by individuals may
only be made if the donor is 18 years of age or older.
Thank you for assisting LCpl Tatum and his
family in this difficult time.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Agreement to Terms of Donor
Disclosure Statement
I have read and hereby agree to the terms of this Donor
Disclosure Statement. If I am an individual, I am over the age
of 18. My contribution to the Lance Corporal Stephen Tatum Legal
Defense Fund is enclosed with my signature below.
________________________________
$___________________________________
Signature
Amount of Contribution
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____________________________________
Print
name
Mailing Address - Street No.
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____________________________________
Name of company donating, if any
Mailing Address – City/State/Zip
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Position with company (if applic.) |