Friends Of Queen Annes Revenge

UPDATE: The Friends of Queen Anne's Revenge is currently named as a defendant in state and federal lawsuits, both filed in North Carolina.

In June of 2013 the Friends of Queen Anne's Revenge, a 501(c)3, contracted with two video production companies to produce a video series about the Queen Anne's Revenge Shipwreck Project in the amount of $60,000. The Friends also contracted with the spouse of the current North Carolina Underwater Archaeology Branch Director to create lesson plans related to video for $10,000.

The two video production companies and the Underwater Archaeology Branch Director's wife were paid up front the sum total of $70,000 in June of 2013. Neither the video nor lesson plans have been publicly released despite a contract delivery date of August 2013 (see UPDATE below). Professional staff dedicated to education and creating lesson plans already exists in the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources which overseas the Queen Anne's Revenge Shipwreck Project and at the North Carolina Maritime Museum which houses the artifacts. Also, numerous lesson plans related to the project already exist.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/237651113/Friends-of-Queen-Anne-s-Revenge-NCDCR-Original-MOA-pdf#scribd
http://www.scribd.com/doc/237650934/Friends-of-Queen-Anne-s-Revenge-NCDCR-Revised-MOA-pdf#scribd

In June of 2013 the Friends board consisted of the former North Carolina Underwater Archaeology Branch Director (President & retired State employee), the former Queen Anne's Revenge Project Director (Vice President & retired State employee), the current Underwater Archaeology Branch Director (Treasurer & State employee) and the current Queen Anne's Revenge Project Lab Director (Secretary & State employee). All were tasked with fundraising for the non-profit and represented clear conflicts of interest. The board's Treasurer's spouse also set up her office in the North Carolina Underwater Archaeology Branch's office.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/248461135/Friends-of-Queen-Anne-s-Revenge-IRS-990-2012

In August of 2013 the board President and former North Carolina Underwater Archaeology Branch Director, the Vice President and former Queen Anne's Revenge Project Director and one at large member abruptly resigned from the Friends board. Despite having no functioning board the Friends continued to solicit and take in donations through the end of 2013.

By March of 2014 a new Friends board was reconstituted with the following members; an Archaeological Surveyor and Consultant for the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (President, state contractor & former State employee), the State Archaeologist for the State of North Carolina (Secretary & current State employee), the Underwater Archaeology Branch Director (Treasurer & current State employee) and the Queen Anne's Revenge Project Lab Director (Vice President & current State employee).

http://www.scribd.com/doc/248214094/Friends-of-Queen-Anne-s-Revenge-IRS-990-2013#scribd

Conflicts of interest on this Friends of Queen Anne's Revenge board include;
a. The board President has hired the Treasurer numerous times over the last three decades for contract archaeology work. He also taught underwater archaeology at East Carolina University which provides students to the project.
b. The board President is required to report his survey findings to the board Secretary in the Secretary's position as State Archaeologist for the State of North Carolina and has been a state contractor.
c. The board Secretary in his position as State Archaeologist for the State of North Carolina directly supervises the board Treasurer and Vice President in their respective jobs as the Underwater Archaeology Branch Director's and the Queen Anne's Revenge Project Lab Director.
d. All members of the Board are tasked with raising money for the Friends of Queen Anne's Revenge non-profit which then funds their work as state employees.
e. Three of the four board members are employed by the North Carolina Department of Cultural resources which overseas the Queen Anne's Revenge Shipwreck Project. The President was a temporary employee during 2013.

On April 30th, 2014 the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources introduced yet another Friends of Queen Anne’s Revenge board at a public event at the Queen Anne’s Revenge Lab at East Carolina University. This board’s conflicts of interest include; the same Archaeological Surveyor and Consultant for the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (former State employee who reports to the State Archaeologist) who has hired and worked with the Underwater Archaeology Branch Director for 30 years, the new Friends Treasurer is a former student and colleague of the Board President and Underwater Archaeology Branch Director and finally the new Board includes a major donor to the 2013 Friends Board who directly funded the 2013 video production ($60,000) and Underwater Archaeology Branch Director's spouse’s lesson plan contract ($10,000) with the Friends of Queen Anne’s Revenge.

Also, in the fall of 2014, the State Archaeologist and the Underwater Archaeology Branch Director received letters of reprimand for not following state contracting procedures in a deal with the Friends Board President involving a Federal Battlefields grant.

In March of 2015 one of the production companies hired by the Friends of Queen Anne's Revenge in the above video agreement posted 7 "educational" videos to it's YouTube channel. This posting is in direct violation of the Settlement Agreement between the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources, Intersal, Inc., and Nautilus Productions. The videos are the property of the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources and subject to shared media rights between the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources and Intersal, Inc..

http://www.scribd.com/doc/237650718/NCDCR-13DCR15732-Mediated-Settlement-Agreement-Signed-w-1998-Agreement-pdf#scribd

On July 27, 2015 Intersal, Inc., discoverer of the Queen Anne's Revenge shipwreck, filed an $8.2M lawsuit against the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources for breach of contract over the 2013 Settlement Agreement. The lawsuit alleges thousands of violations by NCDCR and includes violations by the Friends of the Queen Anne's Revenge non-profit.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/272811934/Queen-Anne-s-Revenge-Lawsuit (Section 17, B)