Updated: July 19, 9:38 a.m.

The name of this event has been changed to “ScooperFest.”

It sounds perfect -- an all-you-can-eat ice cream festival in Pioneer Courthouse Square in late July.

For $15 -- or $10 for kids -- you could spend a day eating ice cream from all your favorite local ice cream purveyors, according to the event’s organizer. Also promoted were “celebrity scoopers” and a 30-foot water slide.

But, after The Oregonian/OregonLive wrote about the event going viral on Facebook, questions about the Scooperbowl and organizer Craig Marquardo’s background arose.

Marquardo, 46, has a history of telling difficult-to-verify stories about his life that goes back to before he first appeared on the Portland scene in 2003, when he tried to bring baseball to the city. These include that he was a backup singer for Sting at age 15 and a professional baseball player at 17.

One of these claims, that he was the senior vice president of distribution for Warner Bros. in the early ‘90s, led to a 2006 conviction of making a false statement under oath or in affidavit after running for office in Hood River.

According to numerous ice cream companies, Marquardo has told them that Scooperbowl proceeds would benefit children’s cancer and dairy farmers, though no specific beneficiaries have been decided on yet. He said the event is being run by Fathom Innovation Foundation.

Fathom Innovation Foundation was registered as a nonprofit corporation with the state Corporation Division in September, records show. Marquardo said Fathom Innovation Foundation’s 501c3 status was pending with the Internal Revenue Service.

However, the Oregon Department of Justice shows no registration for Fathom Innovation Foundation, which is required for nonprofits.

“Charitable organizations that are in the process of applying for IRS 501c3 status and selling tickets to events, or soliciting donations, should be registered with the Oregon Department of Justice,” Liz Grant, the Attorney in Charge of the Charities Division at the Department of Justice, said.

The IRS does not confirm whether applications for charitable status are pending.

“Although charities can lawfully begin operations before they have obtained IRS 501c3 status, for donors,” Grant said, “if a charity indicates that its IRS 501c3 status is pending, that may mean that your donation may not be deductible as a charitable contribution depending on how the IRS ultimately rules.”

Marquardo is the only person listed with the state for the corporation. He said by email that he isn’t the only person involved in the foundation but declined to name any other members.

“A nonprofit corporation has to have at least three directors,” Grant said. “One person can incorporate but they need to quickly add additional board members to the organization.”

Grant added that those board members should be added “by the time you become active.”

The Oregonian/OregonLive asked Marquardo four times who his board directors are and he refused to name them.

Marquardo said his company and the event are in “complete compliance with all city, state and federal laws,” and that his temporary business license “has already been filed.”

Scott Karter, Audit and Accounting Division Manager with the City of Portland said there were no temporary or regular business license registrations for Fathom Innovation Foundation or Craig Marquardo.

“If it was mailed to us recently,” he added, “there is a chance that it is here, but not entered yet.”

According to Craig Doherty with the City of Portland Revenue Division, anyone conducting business within the city is required to register with the city.

From 2013 to 2018, Marquardo was involved in a convoluted legal battle in Oregon and Florida that began when Marquardo was managing the comedian Gallagher.

Records show that in 2013 Marquardo sued a concert organizer in Florida for breach of contract after the promotor allegedly refused to pay Gallagher’s appearance fee.

Though Marquardo won a judgment for $49,358.80 against the promotor in that case in 2014, documents show that in July of 2017 a judge in Florida ordered Marquardo and his company, Fathom Artist Management, to pay his own lawyers $106,913.53 for breach of contract and costs and fees associated with a civil suit.

A circuit court in Oregon created judgment lien against Marquardo for this amount in February 2018.

Aimee Correia, a representative for Gallagher, confirmed the comedian worked with Marquardo.

Court records also show that Marquardo sued Gallagher in 2014, asking for relief for breach of contract and unjust enrichment.

In a counterclaim in that case, Gallagher’s attorney wrote that Gallagher “terminated all business involvement” with Marquardo in June 2014 after learning of Marquardo’s “pattern of deception and ongoing theft of money.”

Marquardo said he is the one who fired Gallagher, not the other way around.

Gallagher’s attorney wrote that Gallagher learned that Marquardo was using Gallagher’s business account “for personal use, including personal vacations, groceries, sports memorabilia, phone sex, payment of personal taxes, and the development of unrelated business ventures.”

Marquardo disputed this claim, saying, “The only failure on my part was that I didn't keep all of the accounts 'pure.’ Meaning that I would sometimes have to make a purchase for him from my account, and then would remedy the matter by making a similar dollar value purchase for me from his account. But I gave a full and complete accounting of every dollar in and out for Gallagher, and the result was him owing me money.”

That case was settled and dismissed in 2016.

Marquardo started a nonprofit that was associated with the Portland Music Awards in 2009, called Portland Arts Foundation. According to the Oregon Department of Justice, that foundation closed in 2011, “claiming it had no asset to distribute to other charities.” Portland Arts Foundation also filed a financial report for 2010, claiming “it had no income or assets during that year.”

Marquardo was convicted of making a false statement under oath or in affidavit in 2006.

“This is a very interesting case in that Mr. Marquardo does not appear to be constrained by the truth,” O. Scott Jackson, senior assistant attorney general from the Oregon Department of Justice, told the Hood River News in that case.

Multiple ice cream purveyors have confirmed they have verbal agreements to donate ice cream after they were told it was for charity and marketing event.

Pioneer Courthouse Square has confirmed the event is scheduled and said the organizer has so far completed all the requirements for the application, including paying the deposit. And Mackenzie Peterson, Miss Teen Oregon USA, has confirmed that she will be scooping at the event.

Representatives from Alden’s, Handels, Ruby Jewel, Future Pops and Umpqua Ice Cream, as well as Lopez Island Creamery from Anacortes, Washington, and Brothers Desserts from Irvine, California, confirmed they plan to donate ice cream.

Update: After this story published, Alden’s and Ruby Jewel told The Oregonian/OregonLive they would not be participating in the event.

Marquardo sent out contracts late last week and The Oregonian/OregonLive obtained a copy of one.

“A portion of the net proceeds of the event will be donated to two different charities,” the contract reads. “One for children’s cancer research, and the other for Oregon dairy farmers. The specific charities have not yet been selected, but will inform Provider as soon as we do.”

Mick Shillingford, of Future Pops, said he would not sign that contract as it stood, calling it “too vague.”

Marquardo says he was inspired by an event called “Scooper Bowl” -- two words, not one -- on the East Coast.

“I was a scooper at the original event in Boston in my sophomore year of high school,” he said. “It has always stuck with me over my life as an amazing concept.”

In an email, Marquardo said, “we have a friendly agreement” with the Scooper Bowl.

“They didn't have any issue with our use of the name,” he said, “provided it didn't cross into one of their markets.”

Scooper Bowl said it was not affiliated with the Oregon event but did not comment on whether they previously knew about it or had an agreement with Marquardo.

Even if Marquardo sorts out Fathom’s tax status and other matters by July, he might still have trouble planning a smooth event.

Scooperbowl is selling single-day tickets and ticket buyers can choose whether to attend Saturday or Sunday, July 20 or 21.

Shillingford, owner of The Portland Ice Cream Company and Future Pops, a popsicle company that has verbally committed to donating product to the Scooperbowl, called the choice to sell tickets for either day “a misstep.”

“That’s going to cause him a logistical nightmare,” Shillingford said.