An unregistered New Jersey horse rescue, NJ Horse Angels, is under investigation for misusing donations that were raised to save horses from the Camelot Auction kill pen.

The New Jersey Office of the Attorney General and Division of Consumer Affairs filed suit against the rescue and its two trustees—Sharon Catalano-Crumb and Frank Wikoff of Phillipsburg, N.J.,—for using more than $61,000 of donated funds to pay for personal expenses, such as phone cards, trips to Atlantic City casinos and cash withdrawals.  Catalano-Crumb also allegedly used the rescue money to buy jewelry for Wikoff, who is her boyfriend as well as a convicted felon, and she sent money to her son, who is currently spending a life sentence at Trenton State Prison for first-degree murder.

The rescue has had several different names, including NJ Horse Angels Rescue, NJ Killpen Horses, Horse Angels of Facebook, Camelot Auction Horse Angels and The Forgotten Angels. Catalano-Crumb and Wikoff raised the majority of the funds through Facebook and Paypal donations. The rescue has never been listed as a charitable organization with the N.J. Division of Consumer Affairs. 

Catalano-Crumb raised more than $145,000 in donations from September 2009 through September 2010. An investigation revealed that she had spent at least $61,422 on personal expenses. An additional $9,000 is unaccounted for. However, some of the funds were used for rescue, care and transport of horses.

The two are charged with multiple violations of the New Jersey Charitable Registration and Investigation Act. The seven-count lawsuit, which was filed in the state Superior Court of Newark, seeks restitution for donors, closure of the rescue, the barring of Catalano-Crumb and Wikoff from working with any charitable organization in New Jersey and the imposition of civil penalties.