the office of the new york attorney general, eric t. schneiderman , has issued a <u+201c>notice of violation<u+201d> to donald j. trump <u+2019>s foundation, ordering it to immediately stop soliciting charitable donations in the state. the letter , which was sent on friday and released on monday morning by mr. schneiderman <u+2019>s office, said its charities bureau had determined that the donald j. trump foundation had been fund-raising in new york this year when it was not registered to do so under state law. <u+201c>the trump foundation must immediately cease soliciting contributions or engaging in any other fund-raising activities in new york,<u+201d> wrote james sheehan, the chief of the charities bureau. mr. trump<u+2019>s foundation has come under increasing scrutiny amid questions about his fulfillment of large charitable pledges and his lack of financial support in recent years. the foundation<u+2019>s compliance with the rules that govern nonprofit groups has also been a concern. the new york times reported last month that mr. trump<u+2019>s foundation does not show up on the charity registers in many states , and the washington post subsequently reported that the foundation did not have the certification necessary to solicit money in new york. <u+201c>while we remain very concerned about the political motives behind a. g. schneiderman<u+2019>s investigation, the trump foundation nevertheless intends to cooperate fully with the investigation,<u+201d> hope hicks, mr. trump<u+2019>s spokeswoman, said in a statement on monday. <u+201c>because this is an ongoing legal matter, the trump foundation will not comment further at this time.<u+201d> mr. trump, the republican presidential nominee, has previously deflected criticism about his charitable giving, saying that he makes contributions personally and that he has been supportive of his foundation. mr. schneiderman<u+2019>s office is investigating mr. trump<u+2019>s foundation to determine if it is in compliance with state laws, including how it spends its money and courts donations. the attorney general<u+2019>s office was particularly interested in a fund-raiser held by mr. trump this year to benefit veterans in lieu of attending a republican primary debate. the event raised $5.6 million, including some money from wealthy donors, and the trump foundation said $1.67 million had come from online donations . the foundation did not break down the sources by state. over the years, mr. trump has donated $5.4 million to his charity, according to the organization<u+2019>s tax filings. but the last of those contributions was in 2008, and in recent years, the foundation<u+2019>s coffers have been filled by outside donors <u+2014> including organizations and people in new york. (the foundation<u+2019>s most recently available filing was for 2014.) from 2009 to 2014, the foundation raised $4.36 million, with $2.5 million from new yorkers, records show. state rules require nonprofits raising more than $25,000 a year in new york to register and file audited financial statements and annual financial reports to the attorney general<u+2019>s charities bureau. in the letter, mr. schneiderman<u+2019>s office provided notice to mr. trump<u+2019>s foundation that it must provide those financial documents within 15 days. it also must file any <u+201c>delinquent reports<u+201d> for past years within that time frame. <u+201c>the failure immediately to discontinue solicitation and to file information and reports<u+201d> with the charities bureau, mr. sheehan said, <u+201c>shall be deemed a fraud upon the people of the state of new york.<u+201d> mr. schneiderman, a democrat and a supporter of mr. trump<u+2019>s democratic opponent, hillary clinton, has also asserted in a separate pending case that mr. trump defrauded students who participated in trump university, his for-profit educational program. kitty bennett contributed research. find out what you need to know about the 2016 presidential race today, and get politics news updates via facebook , twitter and the first draft newsletter . a version of this article appears in print on october 4, 2016, on page a17 of the new york edition with the headline: new york halts soliciting by trump charity. order reprints | today's paper | subscribe
state attorney general orders trump foundation to cease raising money in new york
steve eder