The attorney general in the state of Tennessee is being asked to investigate the suspicious “debanking” scheme that the Bank of America has been using against charities, specifically the charity called Indigenous Advance Ministries that works to provide orphaned and vulnerable Ugandan children with basic necessities.
It is the ADF that has filed a complaint with Tennessee AG Jonathan Skrmetti seeking the investigation into whether the bank illegally discriminated against the charity over its religious views.
The banking corporation had, months ago, canceled the bank accounts for IAM.
“No American should have to worry that a financial institution will deny them service based on their religious beliefs, but Bank of America appears to have done just that with Indigenous Advance,” explained ADF lawyer Jeremy Tedesco. “Canceling their account hurts those in need. It also sends a disturbing message to everyone—you can have your beliefs or your bank account, but you can’t have both.”
The organization reported IAM has been operating since 2015, and it works with ministries inside Uganda to help Christian families and provide vocational skills training and mentorship to college students.