“…Questions surface over $50 fee…But the group's recently posted IRS Form 990 - a public record required for all nonprofits - shows the group spent only $1,074 on background checks for volunteers in 2005 while charging new recruits $50 each and collecting more than $54,000 in registration fees. Kenneth Buelter and his wife, Daphne, former Minuteman loyalists, recalled meetings where MCDC leaders explained the $50 fee. "They told us it was for background checks," said Daphne Buelter. Months later, the couple decided to distance themselves from the movement, even though they still believe in the cause. "There were a great deal of unanswered questions," Daphne Buelters said. The records Simcox posted on the Web seem to answer some of the more serious questions raised by former MCDC members this summer. The audit Simcox made public shows an accredited firm signed off on the group's finances for the 2005 tax year. IRS documents filed by the organization showed that it received more than $418,000 in contributions during 2005 and owed about $31,000 at the end of the tax year. Independent accountants who reviewed the report at the Houston Chronicle's request said the MCDC's finances appear to be in line with many not-for-profits that are just starting out. Simcox defended the spending on the group's Web site. According to the IRS documents, the MCDC dedicated 62.5 percent of contributions to programs, 5.2 percent to management and administration and 32.3 percent to fundraising….”