Attorney General Dan Rayfield announced on April 16 that a lawsuit has been filed against Marcus Brooks, the founder and executive director of Cascade Relief Team (CRT), accusing him of stealing nearly $837,000 in charitable funds intended for victims of fires, floods, and tornadoes in Oregon and Kentucky.
The case is significant because it concerns donations meant to support communities recovering from natural disasters. The complaint alleges that Brooks used his control over CRT to divert both public donations and government grants for personal use rather than aiding those affected by disasters.
According to the Attorney General’s office, Brooks spent the diverted funds on casino visits, strip clubs, personal travel including trips to Disneyland and vacation rentals in Florida, alcohol, vehicles, and personal bills. The lawsuit seeks repayment of all misused assets by Brooks, a permanent ban on his involvement with charitable organizations in any leadership capacity, and the dissolution of CRT. “Oregonians donated to this organization because they wanted to help their neighbors recover from wildfires and floods,” said Attorney General Rayfield. “Instead, that money went into one man’s pocket, spent on casino trips and personal bills while flood and fire victims waited for assistance. We will be sure he is held accountable for every dollar he took.”
Brooks established CRT during Oregon’s severe wildfire season in September 2020 as an organization supporting disaster survivors. Despite receiving tax-exempt status under section 501(c)(3) and accepting both public donations and government contracts or grants, the lawsuit claims CRT was never properly governed. Board members listed in filings reportedly had no involvement with the group’s activities or finances.
The complaint details numerous examples where Brooks allegedly used CRT funds for unauthorized compensation ($74,260), payments toward personal credit cards or loans ($270,861), unrelated travel ($116,133), vehicle expenses ($63,336), cash withdrawals mostly at casinos ($11,589), rent or child support payments along with other expenses like liquor or jewelry ($67,885), streaming subscriptions ($4,412), unaccounted-for equipment purchases ($64,436), avoidable bank fees ($8,865) as well as soliciting loans repaid using charitable funds instead of depositing them into organizational accounts.
One cited incident involves a $326,000 grant from the Red Cross through the Community Foundation of Western Kentucky meant for tornado relief; after landing in an overdrawn account incurring overdraft fees totaling nearly $17K due to prior mismanagement by Brooks himself—he allegedly used remaining funds to start his own business rather than assist disaster victims.
CRT also received a $100K grant from Oregon State Fire Marshal’s office related to wildfire debris cleanup but failed to submit required progress reports or confirm completion of any work tied to major incidents such as Echo Mountain or Almeda fires; eventually running out of money by fall 2023 when staff were abruptly fired without explanation regarding drained accounts.
The Attorney General’s office requests that Brooks be ordered by court action not only repay all misappropriated assets but also face permanent exclusion from fiduciary roles within charities while dissolving CRT entirely—with any residual assets redirected towards legitimate causes—and covering state legal costs associated with this investigation.
