麻豆传媒

America's Frontline Doctors is in a nasty fight with its "rogue" founder, Simone Gold, MD, JD, alleging she used AFLDS funds to buy a $3.6 million home in Florida and three cars, including a Mercedes Benz and a GMC Denali, for personal use.

In a 20-page filed in Florida's U.S. Middle District Court on November 4, AFLDS board chair and COO Joseph Gilbert and affiliated company Free Speech Foundation claimed that Gold used the organization's funds "without authorization or approval" from the AFLDS board.

The complaint asks the court for injunctive relief to restrain Gold from using its funds for personal use, interfering with donors, employees and operations, defaming Gilbert and other AFLDS associates, and "fraudulently holding herself out as a representative, employee, officer, and director" and "illegally asserting control" over its electronic and information technology systems.

The complaint claims that in November 2021, Gold used "AFLDS charitable funds to purchase a in Naples, Florida for her personal rent-free use, and at least three vehicles and has otherwise used AFLDS funds to resource her personal lifestyle and expenses since she formed AFLDS."

Plaintiffs also allege that Gold "currently lives in this home with John Strand, rent free." Strand is a former underwear model and boyfriend of Gold's who was arrested with her in connection with the January 6, 2021 insurrection in the U.S. Capitol. She moved with Strand to Florida this year from Los Angeles, where she had been an emergency room physician.

Strand allegedly was paid $10,000 per month as an AFLDS employee and allegedly spent $15,000 to $17,000 a month using those credit cards. He was terminated from AFLDS in summer 2022, according to the complaint.

In addition to purchasing the house with AFLDS funds, the complaint said Gold purchased a Mercedes Benz Sprinter van, a Hyundai Genesis, and a GMC Denali. After taking possession of the Naples home, she used AFLDS funds to pay a personal security officer $12,000, a personal housekeeper $5,600 a month, and charged "nearly $50,000 per month" to AFLDS credit cards.

The lawsuit claims that Gold resigned her position on the AFLDS board last February "so that she could devote time and energy to her vision of opening health and wellness centers nationwide," i.e. her telemedicine company GoldCare.

But in correspondence between Gold and AFLDS officials or representatives, Gold insisted she hasn't relinquished control of AFLDS.

In July, she began serving a 60-day prison term in connection with a federal charge regarding her participation in the U.S. Capitol insurrection. During her time in prison, Gilbert "stepped into day-to-day operations to help AFLDS run smoothly during Gold's absence," according to the complaint.

"By that time, the Board had become aware of Gold's uses of AFLDS funds and hired a forensic auditor, obtained a compensation study, and had its outside accounting firm begin a financial audit" to investigate what actions it could take regarding her "use of AFLDS funds for her personal use."

Since she left prison in September, however, Gold has tried to "take back control" of AFLDS, the complaint alleged, "even though she had no role other than as a consultant."

In early October, Gold allegedly sent an email to members of the AFLDS board accusing Gilbert of engaging in "wrongdoing" and demanded the board "essentially remove Mr. Gilbert from the Board" and investigate her allegations.

When the board retained counsel, "Gold began threatening the board, AFLDS' counsel, and employees" saying she would persuade donors against making donations if her demands were not met.

"AFLDS representatives learned that Gold falsely told donors that Mr. Gilbert had engaged in financial improprieties, ethical violations, and corruption," the complaint stated.

Gilbert, an attorney with , based in Reno, Nevada, is a former boxer who ran unsuccessfully for Nevada governor earlier this year. He subsequently denied his loss and sued his competitor, Joe Lombardo. But in October, a court Lombardo $161,000 in attorneys' fees, on top of an $88,000 penalty awarded the prior month.

According to the AFLDS website, Gilbert met Gold in October 2020 at a Miami conference.

"Their synergies were immediately apparent," the website stated. "The two began working together shortly after and Dr. Gold, putting her faith in Mr. Gilbert upon a visit to Reno, asked him to become one of the board members of America's Front Line Doctors where he now drives business and legal strategy and is a fearless warrior on behalf of humanity."

The complaint also alleged that after creating GoldCare, "Gold began diverting numerous AFLDS employees that are paid by AFLDS to work at GoldCare, allowing AFLDS to pay their salaries despite doing little to no work for AFLDS."

Additionally, the complaint claimed she illegally asserted control over AFLDS' electronic and information technology systems.

"As a result of Gold's actions, individual employees have no access to their email accounts and are unable to perform their job functions as AFLDS employees; the rightful Board of Directors has no control over AFLDS' finances, IT and other electronic systems, intellectual property, public representations or employees," it stated.

The complaint included six exhibits, five of which display correspondence from Gold to various AFLDS associates and from them to her (see , , , , ) and a . In these, Gold maintains she still has a "leadership role" and claims her earlier intention to step back from the organization was "never legally actualized."

In the Oct. 12 email, she asked all three board members to resign claiming they made "critical mistakes" and that the organization is now "totally dysfunctional," in an "existential crisis" and "flailing." She said she has confirmed with the organization's donors that each "stands with me."

"The organization can not survive without my fundraising," Gold wrote. "Equally or more important than the large donors are the tens of thousands of small donors and millions of followers -- they all leave with me."

In messages to each board member, she wrote: "I am accusing you of murdering the organization if you do not resign. Murdering the organization is incompatible with your fiduciary obligation to the organization. Just as the mother lioness will not let her baby lion be murdered, neither will I."

麻豆传媒 attempted to reach Gold, members of the board, and Gilbert for comment, but none responded by the time of publication.

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