ACORN officials offered to assist two individuals posing as a pimp and prostitute, encouraging them to lie to the Internal Revenue Service and providing guidance on how to claim underage girls from South America as dependents, according to an audiotape acquired by FOXNews.com.
An independent filmmaker who posed as a pimp and a young woman named "Kenya" visited an East Coast ACORN office in July in an attempt to secure housing where the woman could allegedly continue her illegal prostitution business.
On the tape, "Kenya" tells an ACORN staffer she earns roughly $8,000 monthly. The ACORN employee then suggests to "Kenya" that ACORN submit a tax return for 2008 showing that she made $9,600 for the entire year instead of the $96,000 annually, and that ACORN would charge "Kenya" $50 instead of the usual $150.
ACORN offer tax preparation and benefits application services free of charge during tax season, but charge nominal fees during non tax season. (need to see if this was correct fee)
On the audiotape, the staffer also suggested that the prostitute list her occupation as a freelance "performing artist."
"It's not dancing, trust me," says the filmmaker, purporting to be a pimp.
"But dancing is considered an art," the ACORN staffer replied. "[Exotic dancers] usually go under performing artists, or yeah, they usually go under performing arts, which will be what you are - a performing artist."
The "pimp" later talks about the couple's plans to bring up to 13 "very young" girls from El Salvador to work as prostitutes. The two ACORN staffers not only do nothing to point out the illegal nature of their plans, but even suggest how to help by explaining that the underage girls be claimed as dependents.
"What if they are going to be making money because they are performing tricks too?" the pimp is heard saying.
"If they making money and they are underage, then you shouldn't be letting anybody know anyway," the ACORN staffer says on the audiotape before laughing. "It's illegal. So I am not hearing this, I am not hearing this. You talk too much. Don't give up no information you're not asked."
The "pimp," then asks ACORN staffers that in helping get "Kenya" housing to "promise" not to discriminate against his sex worker due to "who she is and what she does," according to the audiotape.
"If we don't have the information, then how are we going to discriminate?" she replies. "You see what I am saying?"
If the girls are under age 16, the ACORN staffer says on the tape, they are not legally allowed to work in the state regardless of what they do.
"So it's like they don't even exist?" the purported hooker asks, according to the audiotape.
"Exactly," the ACORN staffer replies. "It's like they don't even exist."
The staffer went onto suggest that as many as three of the underage girls could be listed as dependents at the home, but said a "flag" would be raised if as many as 13 were listed.
"You are gonna use three of them," the staffer said on the audiotape. "They are gonna be under 16 so you is eligible to get child tax credit and additional child tax credit."
The ACORN workers also appear to be soliciting the group's services to the "pimp" and "Kenya".
A second ACORN employee can be heard on the audiotape suggesting that the couple join the organization for a cost of $120 annually, prior to attending one of its first-time home buyer seminars, which are underwritten with taxpayer funds.
Later, when the "pimp" asks what would happen if the organization is somehow connected to the scheme, the ACORN staffer replies, "First of all, it's not gonna damage us because we not gonna know. And with your girls, you tell them, 'Be careful.' Train them to keep their mouth shut."
"These girls are like 14, how can we trust them?"
"Just be very, very careful," the ACORN staffer responded, according to the audiotape.
"Whatever you do, always keep your eyes in the back of your head."
