Clifford Edwards Jr. Sentenced to 56 Months for Fake Children's Charities 'Helping Out' and 'Smiles for Kids'

Case from 2013–2014 (U.S. Attorney's Office latest release: Aug. 12, 2014). Published on Scammers.com Oct. 16, 2026; case status is current as of that date.

Clifford J. Edwards Jr., formerly of Dakota and Loves Park, Ill., was sentenced on Aug. 11, 2014, to 56 months in federal prison for running two phony charities that took more than $120,000 from more than 3,600 donors, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Illinois announced [1].

How the scheme worked

According to Edwards' guilty plea and the indictment, as described by prosecutors [1] [2]:

1. Two "charities": He set up Helping Out LLC and the Smiles for Kids Foundation (also styled "Smiles 4 Kids"), run from Rockford, Loves Park and Dakota.
2. Call centers: Employees made unsolicited telemarketing calls saying donations would help children with cancer and underprivileged children; the indictment also cited claims about children with cleft palates.
3. Mailed pledges: Donors got pledge statements and return envelopes, and mailed back checks.
4. No children helped: Edwards admitted he kept all the money for personal expenses and to run the two phony organizations, from June 2010 to June 2013.

The person sentenced

Clifford J. Edwards Jr., 34, formerly of Dakota and Loves Park, Ill.

• Indicted: June 18, 2013, on 20 counts of mail fraud.
• Pleaded guilty: May 1, 2014, to one count.
• Sentence: 56 months in prison, three years of supervised release and $122,468 restitution, imposed in Rockford by U.S. District Judge Frederick J. Kapala [1].

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service investigated.

Red flags

• Cold calls for children's causes from groups you've never heard of.
• Pledge statements arriving for a gift you don't remember promising.
• Vague answers about what share of donations reaches the cause.

What to do if you're targeted

1. Look up a charity with the IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search, your state attorney general's charity registry, or watchdogs like Charity Navigator.
2. Give directly to established charities through their own websites rather than to telemarketers.
3. Report charity fraud to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and your state attorney general.

Case status (as of Oct. 16, 2026)

Defendant	Court	Status as of Oct. 16, 2026	Source
Clifford J. Edwards Jr.	N.D. Ill., Western Division (Judge Kapala)	Pleaded guilty May 1, 2014; sentenced Aug. 11, 2014, to 56 months; $122,468 restitution	[1], [2]

The sentence was imposed in 2014; we have not found a source on Edwards' current custody status.

Sources

1. U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Illinois, "Dakota, Illinois Man Sentenced To 56 Months In Federal Prison For Charity Fraud Scheme," Aug. 12, 2014. https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndil/pr/dakota-illinois-man-sentenced-56-months-federal-prison-charity-fraud-scheme
2. U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Illinois, "Dakota, Ill., Man Charged In Alleged $120,000 Charity Fraud Scheme," June 19, 2013. https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndil/pr/dakota-ill-man-charged-alleged-120000-charity-fraud-scheme

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