The state attorney general’s office is investigating a website purporting to be a foundation in the name of Lesandro “Junior” Guzman-Feliz, the Bronx teen who was brutally murdered in a gang-related attack in June, a spokeswoman said Thursday.
The Justice for Juniors’ Foundation website was referred to the state attorney general’s office after Guzman-Feliz’s parents expressed concerns that it was established without their authorization, according to a spokesman for City Councilman Ritchie Torres.
“Whenever our office receives complaints concerning potentially fraudulent charitable activities or organizations, we refer them to the attorney general’s charities bureau which investigates these claims,” Torres’ spokesman said on Thursday.
The slain teen’s parents also raised concerns about a donation button on the website that has since been removed, as PIX 11 first reported.
A representative of the website said the allegations would be addressed during a news conference in front of a mural in memory of Guzman-Feliz, located at 183rd Street and Bathgate Avenue, at 6 p.m. on Monday, but declined to comment further on the matter.
David Estrella, a Bronx community advocate and member of the Justice for Junior Coalition, said that while there may be a website and several social media accounts, there is no foundation — yet.
“As it stands right now, there is no foundation that has been incorporated; that has been established; that has conducted any business as a foundation,” he said.
Another member of the Justice for Junior Coalition set up the website and social media accounts so that the branding wouldn’t get scooped up by someone else, according to Estrella, who added that members of Guzman-Feliz’s family, including the teen’s parents, are aware of a proposal to create a foundation.
“I did not create the accounts, but I know the intentions behind it,” Estrella said. “In the cyber world people try to secure a name and then sell it at a higher value when someone wants it.
“So it was more of an act to secure the name for what was being proposed as a foundation by that name.”
Estrella called controversy over the website a “hiccup” that will soon be resolved.
Guzman-Feliz’s father is expected to attend the Monday news conference regarding the proposed foundation, according to Estrella, but it was unclear if the teen’s mother would support the effort.
Guzman-Feliz, 15, was fatally stabbed in a gang-related attack outside of a Belmont bodega on June 20. The teen’s brutal slaying, which was captured on surveillance video and shared on social media, brought the Bronx community together under the hashtag #JusticeforJunior.
Twelve purported gang members have been charged in the death of Guzman-Feliz, who police said was mistakenly targeted.
The Justice for Junior Coalition, made up of myriad community leaders and organizations, seeks to unify Bronx communities and speak out against gang violence.
