Waste, Corruption and Greed – the Shakespearean Three Witches rampant in the public sector and at the forefront of the news cycle and the Trump Administration’s crusade to reform American Government. Through DOGE the fight has been joined, and the days of rampant greed, corruption and massive government waste of public funds are hopefully ending. Neither the pernicious effects of the waste of public funds nor the heroic battle against them are limited to the government arena. Non-profit corporations suffer from the same Three Witches, often in silence, as the intended public good and charitable works of the non-profit entity are crushed.
Recently a stunning blow was struck against the Three Witches, when leadership of a non-profit trade group of legal professionals representing millions of disabled Americans was exposed.
A Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) was recently issued by the Superior Court for the District of Columbia in a dispute involving the National Organization of Social Security Claimants’ Representatives (NOSSCR) who are being sued by two of its Board members, both respected Social Security Disability attorneys, who were summarily terminated from their Board positions in January 2025. NOSSCR is a non-profit corporation and professional trade group that functions as a specialized bar association for attorneys and advocates who represent Social Security Disability Insurance and Supplemental Security Income claimants throughout the adjudicative process.
On February 6, the Court sided with the plaintiffs and issued the aforementioned TRO reinstating the Plaintiffs as Board members. The order is critically important because it found that Plaintiffs are substantially likely to prevail in this case as it proceeds. The Court’s ruling came after hearing evidence that convinced the court something was amiss when Board members were sanctioned for simply demanding investigation into apparent malfeasance, self-dealing and corruption, allegedly involving NOSSCR’s CEO David Camp, Esq., and his associates. The court then granted the TRO, prohibiting NOSSCR and its president from removing plaintiffs as members of the board and also reinstated their board membership.
Stuart G. Nash, a former federal prosecutor, former judge and counsel for Plaintiffs, observes: “It is clear that the real reason my clients were kicked off the Board was for asking uncomfortable questions about the finances of this organization. My clients are not paid for their service on this Board; they are simply volunteers. They are gratified that the judge saw what was really going on and restored them to their positions, allowing them to continue to press for an independent investigation of NOSSCR’s finances, not for their own benefit, but for the benefit of NOSSCR’s over three thousand members, and the hundreds of thousands of disabled Americans they serve.”
If proven true as the case continues, the fact that NOSSCR’s leadership would waste donated funds for the personal enrichment of a few within the organization should raise the ire and righteous indignation of every American.
The court further found that transparency must be paramount and due process abided. Although the case will continue forward, and nothing has been decided to date beyond the finding that it is likely the Plaintiffs will prevail, it is difficult to have any opinion other than that the Court reached the conclusion that these Plaintiffs were improperly kicked off the NOSSCR Board for daring to raise financial improprieties and to thereby cross swords with CEO Camp, the man behind the terminations.
Apparently being the self-appointed potentate of a small non-profit trade association inspires David Camp to refer to himself as the “Sheriff of Social Security”. By all accounts, he runs NOSSCR like his personal fiefdom, though the tenure of his leadership of NOSSCR on paper is not spectacular. Since he became CEO the organization’s assets have plummeted as the costs of travel and other expenses have skyrocketed, from $7,192 in 2022 to $319,194 in the most recent Form 990 filing. If the allegations in the Complaint are borne out, the fact that he would have the hubris to throw down the gauntlet and terminate Board Members striving to protect the millions of helpless and vulnerable Social Security claimants the organization serves is astounding.
Perhaps even more astounding is that despite the TRO and its findings and ramifications, the new Social Security Commissioner, Leland Dudek, is set to speak at a NOSSCR event in April. Oddly enough, Commissioner Dudek, as a member of the Trump Administration with close working ties to DOGE, and himself a known and effective crusader against government waste who was also fired for daring to root out organizational waste and corruption, perhaps unwittingly has agreed to appear beside Mr. Camp and his Board at the event while the TRO is in place against NOSSCR, judicially confirming the very sorts of improprieties Commissioner Dudek suffered and has rightfully railed against!
Non-profit entities like NOSSCR must always operate in the sunshine and summon their better angels in service of their vulnerable and needy charges. The saying by Justice Brandeis “that sunlight is said to be the best of disinfectants” is borne out by this TRO Order. The NOSSCR battle was joined against isolated, arrogant and “above the law” non-profit corporate leadership, resulting in a TRO that struck a thunderous blow against waste and corruption, sounding a resonant peal of liberty, truth and justice that will hopefully inspire similar efforts in reform of America’s broken private non-profit and charitable organization sector.