Charlotte-based charity representatives banned from collecting donations in South Carolina

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — You've probably seen them in Charlotte over the years, soliciting cash for Miracle House of Hope Ministries on street corners and intersections.

But in South Carolina, Secretary of State Mark Hammond told Channel 9 the organization owes $10,000 in fines for soliciting donations while not registered or not sending in required annual reports that provide transparency about where donations go.

[PAST COVERAGE: 9 Investigates: Many question local ministry's methods]

"Without those annual reports, it's hard for us to inform charitable donors how they are spending their contributions," Hammond said. "We received a lot of complaints about the organization in Greenville, Dorchester, Lexington and Richland counties, so we suspended them and they still would not comply."

[LINK: Miracle House of Hope Ministries injunction]

Now, after repeated attempts to contact them, the Secretary's office obtained an injunction.

"Now they are banned from soliciting in the state of South Carolina and if they do solicit they will be in contempt of court,” Hammond said.

If Miracle House of Hope sounds familiar, that's because it's based in Charlotte, and Channel 9 has looked into its methods before.

Channel 9 called the ministry's leader after learning of the injunction.

He said that anyone representing them in South Carolina is not authorized by him or the organization. He said they don't operate in South Carolina, and he's unaware of any injunction against them.

The ministry said it provides shelter and encouragement to people with addiction problems and told Channel 9 they're saving lives.

But the South Carolina Secretary of State said people should beware.

"We need to hold charitable organizations accountable,” Hammond said.

Cox Media Group