Karen Civil Releases Statement Addressing Claims She Scammed Non-Profit Organization in Haiti, Accuser Responds

Marketing maven Karen Civil has been trending on social media over the past few days after being accused of taking advantage of former clients Jessie Woo and Joyner Lucas. She’s even been accused of and admitted to hiring a hacker to take down Hollywood Unlock’s Instagram page. And now, another accuser has come forward alleging that Civil scammed Haitian non-profit organization, “Sow a Seed.”

Twitter user Melissah Prato took to the platform to allege Civil tried to “thoroughly profit” off of the organization when she signed on as an ambassador in 2014. In a Twitter thread, Prato alleged she reached out to Civil because she liked the “image” she portrayed online and even got the go-to from an “industry friend.” The two eventually connected about a playground and help with a school in Croix-Des-Bouquet. Following a successful photoshoot highlighting Civil as a brand ambassador, the two agree to do a groundbreaking for the playground, the woman alleges. Gearing up for the groundbreaking, the woman then alleged Civil only covered her flight and $1,500 for the groundbreaking, after agreeing to pay $41K to contribute to the project.

I really want to join into this #KarenCivil conversation as the person who invited her to Haiti for the FIRST time (in her adult life – idk for her younger years) through a nonprofit org (for which she was signed to be an ambassador) through which she tried to thoroughly profit.

— M-P (@MelissahPrato) September 19, 2021

Okay – so I’m reaching out to different people as potential brand ambassadors for SowaSeed. I followed her on IG and I liked her “image” (well what she perceived – perception isn’t reality). I reach out to an “industry friend” I ask about her,he’s like yeah go for it #KarenCivil

— M-P (@MelissahPrato) September 19, 2021

So I tweet her – she DM’s me her email. I tell her what SowaSeed @SAScharity is all about, I was excited cause we are a group of Haitian women (she’s “Haitian”) Volunteer based. 100% profit go to our programs. So at this point I feel like “she” aligns with our vision. #KarenCivil pic.twitter.com/ok4loLiuzb

— M-P (@MelissahPrato) September 19, 2021

Remember this is based of internet perception (this is where I learned that you can literally be anyone you want to be online!). Long story short, SowaSeed team &her setup a Skype call. We tell her that we want to do a playground/help with a school in CroixDesBouquets #KarenCivil

— M-P (@MelissahPrato) September 19, 2021

She’s EXCITED chile. Onboard. SO at this point she’s coming on as an AMBASSADOR FOR @SAScharity – so she’s like “let’s do a photoshoot to announce it, I’ll be in miami” Blah blah. I coordinated the shoot, she paid. We do the shoot. So far so good. #KarenCivil pic.twitter.com/EzyJf1YEmL

— M-P (@MelissahPrato) September 19, 2021

@SAScharity sends her the deck (documentation presenting the project & budget). In the meantime, we are working on our legal contract for her as an AMBASSADOR. Things are moving along (attached is another Sowaseed playground pic, for context of the project we had) #KarenCivil pic.twitter.com/HUVH5n0NIJ

— M-P (@MelissahPrato) September 19, 2021

So then she says okay, let’s do the groundbreaking of the playground in November 2014 for her birthday weekend. She will fly in with 1 person and photographer and we will host her and coordinate EVERYTHANG. But again, she is an ambassador FOR @SAScharity #KarenCivil pic.twitter.com/j8pwqvwpb3

— M-P (@MelissahPrato) September 19, 2021

So here we are, with all @SAScharity members – on nonstop calls planning this trip for her. In between visiting orphanages, the school where the playground is, we incorporated fun stuff (i.e. wahoo, mupanah, observatoire) – gave her security, blende cars,full service. #KarenCivil pic.twitter.com/220g4IjUEk

— M-P (@MelissahPrato) September 20, 2021

So all of this is at the expense of @SAScharity &sponsors (she only covered her flight and 1,500 for the groundbreaking). We send her the contract &the information for the first part of her payment (so called 41k) The dates are getting closer to travel date (Nov 3-7) #KarenCivil

— M-P (@MelissahPrato) September 20, 2021

Everytime we talk about the first half of the payment, she gives us the run around. Meanwhile, we’re planning &we’ve never been “scammed” so we’re riding off of “good intent” at this point. Still waiting for 1st half of this 41k. Basically her date for travel arrives #KarenCivil

— M-P (@MelissahPrato) September 20, 2021

At this point contract is signed but no money out of the 41k has been sent and in the back and forth, she had requested we print a big check for her photo opp during the groundbreaking – since we’re used to honest people, we’re still riding off good intent. #KarenCivil

— M-P (@MelissahPrato) September 20, 2021

Now the groundbreaking day comes – we book Maikadou for her makeup (paix à son âme chile!). Organize this whole ceremony and she dresses up in the whole look – hair done – nails done – PVC big check printed. She ready. So we show up at the school, kids are so happy! #KarenCivil

— M-P (@MelissahPrato) September 20, 2021

So we tell the kids they’re going to get a playground (keep in mind this is all under the Project PlayWorld pillar of @SAScharity with her as an ambassador for @SAScharity )- she adds that she will send computers as well. Kids are elated. We spend time with them. #KarenCivil pic.twitter.com/gIPZ08PWMg

— M-P (@MelissahPrato) September 20, 2021

This is where we are all like WTF? She pulls out her #LiveCivil t-shirts for the kids to wear and pose with (photo-op). First of all, you’re a @SAScharity ambassador (signed on), you should be wearing a @SAScharity T-shirt and promoting @SAScharity as per contract #KarenCivil pic.twitter.com/lyozVzOAvu

— M-P (@MelissahPrato) September 20, 2021

Now do you see @SAScharity anywhere in the caption? Photo? Playground name? Title? NO. She was given a list of hashtags to follow (that she agreed on) and she was supposed to tag us as our ambassador. So here we are with all there red flags. It gets better … #KarenCivil

— M-P (@MelissahPrato) September 20, 2021

So here she is posting about this – no @SAScharity tagged in all except ONE post. No branding. No mentions, no hashtags. Here we are with a now “Live Civil Playground” (like WHAT?) When the contract said you are an ambassador and this is a @SAScharity project. #KarenCivil pic.twitter.com/YF9sz5RKDM

— M-P (@MelissahPrato) September 20, 2021

So again out of us trusting her on good intent, we allowed this whole photo op to happen. Including a photo with a said 41k check – which at that point we had not received 1$ from (she had only paid the 1,500 for the groundbreaking ceremony). #KarenCivil pic.twitter.com/TDTQG9XN4O

— M-P (@MelissahPrato) September 20, 2021

So her trip is over – she had her groundbreaking ceremony and her photo op, to prepare for her GRAND REVEAL posting on her “birthday”. She goes back to the US. We start working on a press release on our end. @SAScharity still asking her for the 1st half of funds #KarenCivil

— M-P (@MelissahPrato) September 20, 2021

The video comes out on her birthday and she goes on a media tour. Firstly, she edits @SAScharity press release and puts out her own – unapproved version of it. Then when we call her out on it, she pretends she’s having her team fix it 😒 #KarenCivil

— M-P (@MelissahPrato) September 20, 2021

Like what is a Melissa&Claudia and that ain’t who you’re supposed to be promoting Ms. Ambassador. So then she starts saying “live civil playground this, live civil playground that”. So we reach out to her cause @SAScharity is invisible in this media campaign right? #KarenCivil

— M-P (@MelissahPrato) September 20, 2021

She basically ignores us. What she does – she posts all the hashtags and all we asked for on her “live civil” page (that had only 3k followers at the time) none of that on her personal page – when SHE is signed as the ambassador. Here we are still asking for the funds #KarenCivil

— M-P (@MelissahPrato) September 20, 2021

https://t.co/y23RbiHlgf

She’s on a full blown media tour about this playground. She’s then asking us to change the playground layout – to add live civil in there. So it’s starting to feel like a collab now and not her as an ambassador. So we’re like WAIT A MINUTE. #KarenCivil

— M-P (@MelissahPrato) September 20, 2021

The news articles out here saying she gave 41k (WHERE? It’s the pvc check chile). NO @SAScharity in sight of her interviews, she’s ignoring our emails about the violations of the contract but the marketing machine is BOOMING, she’s now becoming “a Haitian icon” eh. #KarenCivil pic.twitter.com/hCQAx5xTU0

— M-P (@MelissahPrato) September 20, 2021

….. because she has access to more media and publishes that she’s cutting ties with @SAScharity – WHERE? 😒 meanwhile, she leaves on her page, all over the internet, photos/videos/press releases of those kids who got no money, no playground, no laptops. #KarenCivil

— M-P (@MelissahPrato) September 20, 2021

Also – @SAScharity ‘s lawyer didn’t pursue legal because it costs to go to court. They’re 100% volunteer based (including the attorneys) so nobody was going to fight that and deal with that. They’d rather use that money for the kids. #KarenCivil

— M-P (@MelissahPrato) September 20, 2021

Oh& remember my industry “friend” who had told me to go ahead with her. Well he randomly called me & was like “yo, I just got your playground deck but I know it’s yours cause I know it but it doesn’t say sow a seed on it”. So she had edited it to collect funds on said playground.

— M-P (@MelissahPrato) September 20, 2021

In response to Prato’s claim, Civil told Baller Alert:

“The school they chose I thought was very amazing and we did a groundbreaking ceremony there to establish the park we planned to build.

Unfortunately we could not come to an agreement on the name of the park and how it would be structured. Because we could not come to an agreement on the name and how it would be structured. 

Their organization put out a press release and unbeknownst prior to me on their Instagram stating we parted ways.

So I put out a statement as well and decided to move forward with continuing with building the Live Civil playground at a different location.”

In response to Karen Civil’s statement, Melissa Prato told Baller Alert,

“It is absolutely impossible for there to have been an acceptable discussion about naming the playground. This was a branded project by @sowaseed – it was not their first playing. The project was already on paper and had a blueprint. Sow a seed had already done a playground (please see attached images) and the PARTNERS for the previous playground understood that it was an “unnamed” playground for the kids under SowaSeed’ ART pillar – for “PROJECT PLAYWORLD” which is the umbrella for ALL of our playgrounds – they never tried to “rename it”. So there was no “debate” for renaming this – it was already branded. This was explained to her in the deck (provided documentation) she received from the DISCUSSION phase of this project. After she came back from Haiti and began to see that this would be great exposure for her brand, she then brought up renaming and rebranding with us. Asking to include “Live Civil” artwork on the playground floor. Meanwhile, Karen Civil was not on board as a partner but as a brand ambassador. The brand remains : SOW A SEED.”

Updated statement from Karen Civil

8 yrs ago I tried to partner with an organization to give back to my home country. The trip was a beautiful experience, however the initial org I was working with had crafted efforts that would have been inaccessible to the children aimed to serve. Unwilling to make the playground more accessible to the people who would use it, I regrouped with aternative community leaders & local organizations.

I worked to move forward with building our own Live Civil Playground. The money was used to renovate a local school to provide a safe environment for kids to learn and build a playground. That first year, for our Christmas initiative we had Andre Berto dress up as Santa and Lil Wayne donate clothing & toys to all of the students.

https://www.instagram.com/p/_jyUy7kqVh/?utm_medium=copy_link

https://www.instagram.com/p/_kWrLYkqZt/?utm_medium=copy_link

https://www.instagram.com/p/_j7qY2kqZt/?utm_medium=copy_link

Another organization (formerly known as JBF Worldwide) helped me fulfill my initial want to bring STEM equipment to serve the Haitian youth. I was able to built our own Live Civil computer lab at an orphanage, provided computers and Beats by Dre headphones for active learning w/ assistance of Lunion Suite.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BSuSimglvOt/?utm_medium=copy_link

I have since done other activations including post-earthquake relief in partnership with Hope for Haiti for the last three years.

I know it’s really easy to project and vilify me at this time, but what I will not allow is for anyone to discredit or diminish the incredible work I have done and continue to do in Haiti.

Right now my Haitian brothers and sisters need our help. As we speak, thousands of Haitian people are being deported without being offered their legal opportunity to file for asylum. The deportation to Haiti must be stopped. Please visit HaitianBridge.org for more information.