Martino Cartier’s cancer charity comingled with personal property, business finances

Martino Cartier’s cancer charity is financially intertwined with this private property and business, appearing on financing documents and a $600,000 construction lien involving his sprawling Sewell compound, records reviewed by the New Jersey Globe about the Republican candidate for Gloucester County Commissioner show.

The records also show Cartier discussing construction-loan “draws” related to money he says he was owed, while the state currently lists his charity as non-compliant with registration requirements and independent nonprofit evaluators have given it poor marks for transparency and governance.

At the same time, Cartier has sought a farmland tax assessment for the roughly 7.6-acre property, where his home, salon, charity operations and a petting zoo are located.

Property records, court filings, tax returns, emails, text-message screenshots and social media posts reviewed by the Globe show that Wigs & Wishes — legally Friends Are By Your Side, Inc. — was involved in financing tied to Cartier’s privately owned property and was later named alongside him in a $600,388 construction lien.

Taken together, the records show extensive overlap among Cartier’s home, salon, construction financing and cancer charity — and leave unanswered how money and expenses were divided among them.

Text-message screenshots attributed to Cartier also appear to show him discussing a $400,000 personal loan he made to his contractor and referring to construction-loan “draws” while explaining how he got his money back.

The records do not establish that Cartier diverted charitable money for personal use, improperly received a tax benefit, or committed a crime. But they reveal substantial financial and operational overlap among Cartier, his salon, his real estate, and his signature charity as the Republican seeks a seat on the Gloucester County Board of Commissioners in November.

In a brief interview with the New Jersey Globe, Cartier disputed suggestions that he had done anything improper and portrayed himself as the target of politically motivated attacks.

“All we do is get beat up by people who don’t do their homework,” he said.

A nationally known hairstylist and television personality, Cartier founded Wigs & Wishes to provide free wigs to women undergoing cancer treatment and grant wishes to children battling cancer.

The charity reported $613,417 in revenue and $507,937 in expenses on its 2024 federal tax return, ending the year with about $1.37 million in assets. Cartier reported receiving no compensation as president, and the organization told the IRS that it had experienced no material diversion of assets.

At the center of the financial questions is Cartier’s relationship with Leonard Pelullo, owner of Pelco Builders, the Pennsylvania contractor hired to build Cartier’s property.

The property serves several purposes: it is Cartier’s home, the site of his salon and the address associated with Wigs & Wishes. It also includes another residence, outbuildings, and a petting zoo and has hosted large charity events.

Cartier said the portion of his home used by the nonprofit was financed with money he received from his uncle and that none of it came from donors.

In May 2023, Cartier obtained financing from Haddon Savings Bank involving the property, with his business and charitable entities also parties to the transaction, according to documents the New Jersey Globe reviewed.

Cartier’s relationship with Pelullo extended beyond the construction contract. Cartier personally loaned the contractor $400,000, according to text messages the New Jersey Globe reviewed.

In a February 13, 2025, text-message screenshot attributed to Cartier and sent to Pelullo’s wife, Lyn, Cartier appears to discuss both the personal loan and construction draws while explaining how he recovered money he was owed.

In the message, Cartier said he had personally loaned Pelullo $400,000 and then used draws from the construction financing to get his money back. “After that he borrowed a total of $400,000 from me which I had to beg the bank to give me draws from the project’s money to get paid back,” Cartier wrote.

Later in the same message, Cartier appeared to acknowledge uncertainty about whether money drawn from the project ultimately went toward construction.

“He owe(s) so many people money that I have paid my bill probably in abundance because he took draws to pay me back and I don’t even know if that ever went to the job,” Cartier wrote.

The messages do not establish that the draws were improper.   Construction loans commonly permit borrowers to recover documented project costs they have advanced.  But Cartier’s description raises questions about how the $400,000 personal loan to Pelullo became intertwined with draws against the construction financing, and whether all the money drawn was ultimately used for project-related expenses.

Construction financing routinely involves draws as work is completed, and borrowers can be reimbursed for legitimate project expenses they initially paid themselves.  Without the loan agreement, draw requests, invoices, and banking records, the New Jersey Globe could not determine what expenses the draws covered or how the transactions were structured.

A second screenshot shows Pelullo disputing Cartier’s characterization of their financial dealings while acknowledging the $400,000 loan.

Their relationship eventually collapsed.

In October 2025, Pelco Builders filed a $600,388.93 construction lien for allegedly unpaid work at the property, naming Cartier and his charity in connection with the claim.

The charity’s inclusion raises questions about how construction costs were divided among Cartier’s residence, his for-profit salon, and Wigs & Wishes.

Cartier strongly disputes Pelco’s claim.

“We’re fighting it in court.  It’s inaccurate.  We follow all guidelines,” he stated.

In a Facebook post, Cartier said, “There is a complete paper trail showing where the money went.”

Asked about Pelullo, Cartier was blunt.

“He’s the deadbeat.”

Pelullo has an extensive criminal history, including federal fraud and racketeering cases.  He was convicted of looting millions of dollars from employee pension funds and sentenced to two years in federal prison.  His criminal history does not resolve the validity of his lien against Cartier.

Wigs & Wishes operates from the property and hosts events there, and nonprofits can legitimately share facilities and expenses with founders or related businesses when those arrangements are properly structured.

The available records do not show whether Wigs & Wishes pays rent to Cartier, whether the salon and charity share employees, or how they allocate common expenses.

Separate from the construction dispute, the New Jersey Attorney General’s charitable-registration database currently lists Friends Are By Your Side as “non-compliant.”

“That’s news to me,” Cartier said.  “I don’t know anything about that.  My accountant handles that.”

New Jersey requires registered charities to renew their registrations annually, generally within six months of the end of their fiscal year.  The state has also recently acknowledged issuing numerous notices concerning charity registration status. The designation is not itself a finding of financial misconduct.

Outside nonprofit evaluators have separately raised governance concerns. Charity Navigator gives Wigs & Wishes a two-star rating, while Candid has identified shortcomings in several recommended board-governance practices.

“We have great board members.”

Cartier’s oldest son has identified himself as the charity’s volunteer chief financial officer. The charity is also prominently associated with Cartier’s for-profit salon.

The same property has also been the subject of Cartier’s unsuccessful effort to obtain a farmland assessment, which can reduce property taxes on qualifying agricultural land.

Cartier pushed back strongly on criticism of that effort and said he currently pays $59,000 in property taxes annually.

“If you do your homework and you read the resolution, it says 50% (of the property) has to be non-profit. The building has to be non-profit.”

New Jersey’s farmland assessment program generally requires at least five contiguous acres devoted to agricultural or horticultural use, along with minimum agricultural income and other requirements.

Records reviewed by the New Jersey Globe show Cartier’s late attorney communicating with Gloucester County officials about qualifying the property for preferential farmland treatment.  The petting zoo and other activities at the compound have also been associated with Wigs & Wishes.

Cartier insisted the property qualifies as an actual farm.

“Clearly, we are a farm,” he said.  “The people before me had a farm assessment and didn’t have a farm.  We are a legitimate farm.  We have an ostrich, an emu, and an alpaca.  It’s a farm.”

He called Gloucester County Democrats opposing the farmland assessment “the crooked people.”

Cartier later listed the compound for $6.5 million, with his real estate agent saying a likely buyer would be a developer.

Cartier said his decision to buy the property grew partly out of his experience during the COVID-19 pandemic, when Gov. Phil Murphy ordered salons and other nonessential businesses closed.

Cartier said he still owed rent even though his salon could not operate.  He said he asked his landlord to charge him only enough to cover the landlord’s costs rather than make a profit, then withheld rent for three months after the landlord declined.

Cartier said the dispute went to court, and he ultimately had to pay $30,000 in rent for space he could not use.

“I played chicken,” he said.  “That’s why I bought this property.”

Cartier also criticized his Democratic opponent, incumbent Commissioner Matt Weng, for receiving federal Paycheck Protection Program money while Weng’s law practice remained open.  The PPP program was designed to help businesses maintain payroll and cover certain expenses during the pandemic; receipt of a PPP loan did not require a business to have completely shut down.

Cartier’s candidacy creates another potential boundary issue. Federal law prohibits 501(c)(3) organizations from participating or intervening in political campaigns, although Cartier himself is free to run for office.

Social media material reviewed by the New Jersey Globe appears to show vehicles associated with Wigs & Wishes involved in Cartier’s political activities. The New Jersey Globe could not determine who owns the vehicles, who paid their expenses, or whether the campaign reimbursed the organization.

The IRS has not accused Wigs & Wishes of improperly participating in Cartier’s campaign.

Cartier said the scrutiny overlooks his charitable work and pointed to what he did for his community during the pandemic.

“I raised the money to buy roses for 900 public school teachers in Washington Township.  I bought pizza and chicken parm sandwiches and Kim Kardashian perfume and Martino Cartier hair products for all of the graduating seniors,” he stated. “That’s what I was doing during COVID.”