A former member of the Windy City Ghostbusters is accused of filing false paperwork with the state of Illinois to seize control of the Chicago-based charity, cutting the group off from a bank account that included $6,849 raised for sick children. The nonprofit, known for its movie-accurate costumes and props at conventions across the region, says it discovered in April that its own bank account had become inaccessible.
According to CBS Chicago, Frank Zeimetz filed an Illinois domestic corporation annual report identifying himself as president and director of the Windy City Ghostbusters. The charity's bank later told the group that new paperwork had identified Zeimetz as its president, and the organization has said it is still unsure what happened to the rest of the money withdrawn from the account. Windy City Ghostbusters has more than 50 members and raises money for children's hospitals, including La Rabida Children's Hospital.
The charity's bank account also showed a restaurant purchase in Hammond, Indiana, and several minor league baseball-game-related purchases, the station reported. Zeimetz reportedly posted pictures of himself at a Hammond restaurant and at a Joliet Slammers baseball game. He declined to comment to the outlet on why he identified himself as president and CEO after leaving the group, and he also declined to comment on why he was reportedly trying to shut down the charity.
A Missed Filing Deadline Becomes a Flashpoint
The dispute traces back to a routine administrative deadline. Windy City Ghostbusters was due to file its domestic corporation annual report with the Illinois Secretary of State's office on March 3, and missed it. Under state law governing domestic non-profit corporations, that report must detail a group's registered agent, registered office, and current officers and directors, and a corporation that misses the deadline faces only a $3 statutory penalty fee before more serious consequences can follow, per the Illinois General Assembly.
The Illinois Secretary of State's office confirmed the charity was not administratively dissolved immediately after missing that deadline. Under state law, the office administratively dissolves an organization only if the filing issue is not corrected within a 90-day compliance period following a notice of delinquency. Zeimetz has claimed his authority came from the corporation being administratively dissolved, but he also insisted, per the station's report, that he did not lie to the Secretary of State's office on the annual report — telling the outlet he wrote none under the report's statement of activity.
State Regulators Say They Cannot Settle Who Is In Charge
The Illinois Secretary of State's office told the station it received a complaint about the Windy City Ghostbusters matter in May and has placed the charity's not-for-profit corporation filing record on hold while it reviews the matter. The office said it is issuing interrogatories to gather additional information — sworn responses that, under Illinois law, remain confidential and exempt from public disclosure unless needed for criminal proceedings or other state legal action.
Crucially, the office has also made clear it does not adjudicate internal governance disputes or determine who holds lawful authority over a corporation. It said it will take any action within its statutory authority that is supported by facts and Illinois law. That leaves open the question of whether the Illinois Attorney General's Charitable Trust Bureau, which regulates charitable solicitations and can investigate alleged financial improprieties, will step in — a question the dossier does not resolve.
Charity Insists It Is Still Standing
The Windy City Ghostbusters briefly regained access to its bank account in July, when it discovered several withdrawals and debit card purchases had been made from the account. The group says it still exists despite the turmoil, even as Zeimetz has stated that Windy City will not be conducting activities and will be dissolving. He has also sent cease-and-desist letters to the charity's charitable partners, according to the station's reporting.
Member Matthew Goeltenbodt said the group wants to continue bringing smiles to people's faces, telling the outlet that Windy City Ghostbusters still exists in spirit. The charity has reported that one children's hospital told it a large check had come through, though the dossier does not specify further details on that payment. Despite the account freeze, the group maintained a public presence this month, hosting interactive prop displays and collecting donations at Fan Expo Chicago in Rosemont, according to Midlife Crisis Crossover! The group and its custom Ecto-1 vehicle have long anchored the convention's community cosplay zone, which Medill Reports Chicago noted drew roughly 75,000 attendees in 2024.
Watchdog Calls the Situation Unusual
Bennett Weiner, president and CEO of the BBB Wise Giving Alliance, told the station that late charity registration is not unusual, especially for small, volunteer-run charities like Windy City Ghostbusters. But he described the alleged hostile takeover by a former member as unusual. Weiner, who was named to the 2026 NonProfit Times Power and Influence Top 50 list for his charity accountability work, evaluates organizations against governance standards through his role at the alliance.
Under Illinois law, directors and officers of non-profit corporations owe fiduciary duties of care and loyalty, requiring them to manage assets in good faith solely to further a charity's mission. Breaching those duties can expose non-profit leaders to civil lawsuits or judicial removal, according to Illinois Legal Aid Online. Whether that standard applies here, and whether the dispute will be settled through private civil litigation between the group's founding members and Zeimetz, remains unresolved as state regulators continue their review.
