Founder of The Hope Box accused of misusing thousands in donations

PAULDING COUNTY, Ga. - The Georgia Secretary of State is suing a Paulding County woman, accusing her of charity fraud. Secretary Brad Raffensperger alleges that Sarah Koeppen misappropriated tens of thousands of dollars over more than five years and is demanding she pay back the money.

Sarah Koeppen launched The Hope Box with what appeared to be a noble mission: preventing babies from being abandoned and rescuing them from sex traffickers.

However, Raffensperger accuses Koeppen of spending tens of thousands of dollars in charitable contributions on personal expenses from January 2018 through June 2023.

The Secretary of State’s office filed a lawsuit Wednesday in Fulton County Superior Court, claiming that "The Hope Box is not and has never been registered as a charitable organization."

The lawsuit alleges Koeppen used donor funds to pay for personal goods and services, including hair salon visits, dental work, dinners, and her daughter’s birthday party.

Raffensperger also claims Koeppen spent $800 for photos at her son’s wedding and more than $36,000 at restaurants, brewpubs, and liquor stores from January 2018 through April 2022.

In June 2023, Koeppen signed an agreement to shut down The Hope Box and stop collecting donations. However, Raffensperger says Koeppen failed to comply with the agreement and continued soliciting donations.

FOX 5 visited the address listed for The Hope Box to ask Koeppen about the allegations but found it led to a postal service office in Acworth.

Raffensperger is seeking to recover all the allegedly misappropriated funds and is demanding Koeppen pay a $100,000 fine.

Raffensperger declined to comment on the lawsuit.

FOX 5 has reached out to Koeppen for comment and is awaiting a response. FOX 5, along with multiple other media organizations in the metro Atlanta area, has interviewed Koeppen in the past about her organization and boxes.