At first glance, the dozens of red-and-white collection bins around Denver look like donation boxes put out by Goodwill or The Salvation Army.

But the Denver/Boulder Better Business Bureau says the bins are part of a "shadowy network of for-profit entities originating in Denmark that have been charged with money laundering, profiteering, tax fraud and embezzlement."

Some business owners gave permission to U'SAgain, the Chicago-based company that owns and operates the bins, to place bins near their property. Several Denver business owners interviewed Wednesday said they feel duped.

Other bins were placed in a "no man's land" on sidewalks or street corners, said Susan Liehe of the BBB.

"Folks are donating to the bins, and they think it's a charity," she said. "It is actually funding a network of fraud and profiteering."

U'SAgain identifies itself on the bins, and on its website - www.usagain.com - as a commercial company that collects donated clothing. "All the clothes are sold. We get paid by the pound. In that way we can provide your local community with a new and splendid recycling opportunity at no charge," according to the website.

Allan Foighel,   manager of U'SAgain operations in Denver, said the company arrived here in January and has set up 130 collection bins.

He said the company makes it clear that it is a commercial venture, and that it was a "misunderstanding" if business owners thought otherwise.

"We don't represent ourselves as a charity," he said. "We make it clear that this is a recycling initiative."

Sal Mineo, manager of Rico's Pizzeria on South Broadway in Englewood, said a representative from U'SAgain approached the restaurant about three months ago, claiming the donated items would go to charity.

Mineo said  he dropped a few items into the box, as did several customers. He said he will call the listed phone number to have the bin removed.

"They lied to me," he said. "Things like this turn my stomach."

Henry Nguyen, owner of Alexander's Car Wash on South Broadway, said a U'SAgain representative told him the group "collected clothes to give to poor people."

He said he also plans to have the bin removed.

Liehe said the bins are not technically illegal, but she plans to contact the city to see what can be done.

"There may not be much we can do in Denver to stop this staggering   ring of fraud that appears to touch virtually every continent," Liehe said.

U'S Again is connected to Tvind, according to the BBB and news reports.

Tvind originated in the late 1970s in Denmark as a counterculture teacher collective and has morphed into an international network of enterprises, some legitimate and some criminal, according to a 2004 Chicago Tribune article.

Officials with the group have been charged in Denmark with embezzlement and tax evasion, according to the article.

A website, www.tvindalert.com, is hosted by detractors.

Staff writer Will Shanley can be reached   at 303-820-1473 or wshanley@denverpost.com.

http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_2744402