Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison has filed a lawsuit against a St. Paul nonprofit that purported to help people with job, housing and other community support claiming that instead, the president of the company used the money for personal expenses.

The lawsuit against Act for Cause and its president, Rajesh Mehta, claims that he used the money from the nonprofit like his own personal bank account spending money on his son’s college tuition, piano lessons, gym memberships, car payments, property taxes and other personal expenses, said a press release from Ellison’s office.

Mehta bought a building at 220 Robert Street South in St. Paul and then used it as the registered office of Act For Cause. He later transferred ownership of the building from the nonprofit to another company he owned and charged tenants rent.

“It is appalling that the defendant founded and used a nonprofit to serve his own personal interests, rather than help the people of Minnesota,” Ellison said. “My office launched this investigation and filed this lawsuit because I will not allow nonprofits to serve as a guise for nonprofit leaders to enrich themselves.”

Ellison claims that when Mehta closed the nonprofit, he transferred ownership of its $1 million building to one of his for-profit companies for free. He then allegedly rented the building to 10 to 15 businesses, and kept the rent money. In addition, the lawsuit claims that Mehta made large cash withdrawals from the nonprofit that were not accounted for.

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The lawsuit, filed in Ramsey County, also claims that because the nonprofit didn’t have a board of directors, as is required by law, there was no oversight into Mehta’s actions.

A call seeking comment to the Act for Cause office was unsuccessful as the phones were disconnected.