Khloé Kardashian came to husband Lamar Odom's defense after
claims surfaced over the weekend accusing the Los Angeles Clippers forward of running a charity scam.
ESPN published an investigative report Sunday on Cathy's Kids, the charity Odom started in 2004 after his mother died of stomach cancer.
"It was developed as a means for Lamar to streamline all his charitable efforts and focus on making a positive impact on the lives of under-privileged children, as well as targeting a disease that has played a significant role in his life, cancer," according to Cathy's Kids' mission statement.
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But the ESPN report found Odom's charity appeared to only hold up one end of its mission. Eight years of tax records show that Cathy's Kids "primarily existed to finance two elite youth basketball travel teams. Of the $2.2 million raised by the charity, at least 60 percent — $1.3 million — went to those AAU teams," according to ESPN. Not a dime went to cancer research.
Now, Kardashian is speaking out in her husband's defense.
"It is unfortunate that my husband has been the target of an attack on athletes' charities, although he has personally contributed approximately $2.2 million to his foundation, Cathy’s Kids, to fulfill its charitable purposes that include helping underprivileged inner-city youth," Kardashian wrote on her website Tuesday.
Kardashian claims the charity chose to focus on one mission rather than two.
"Cathy’s Kids was formed with several purposes in mind, including benefitting underprivileged youth and cancer research," she wrote. "A decision was ultimately made that the charity should focus on one of those purposes — to help enrich the lives of underprivileged inner-city youth. It accomplished that goal."
According to ESPN, Cathy's Kids has been "dormant for years," but it appears that Kardashian is still fundraising for the cause, and still using cancer research as a selling point.
Kardashian is selling used clothing and accessories on her eBay site in the name of raising money for Cathy's kids.
"Lamar lost his mother to stomach cancer and subsequently is committed to help causes that are focused on finding a cure and helping people who suffer from the disease," it says on Kardashian's eBay site.
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The socialite, who married Odom on reality TV in 2009, sent out a cryptic tweet Wednesday that many speculate was aimed at her critics.
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