Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Rev. Floyd Flake is a millionaire

From the NY Post:

The Rev. Floyd Flake, a key member of the consortium awarded the Aqueduct video-slots contract, pays himself and his wife nearly $1 million a year for their charitable and church work, The Post has learned.

According to the latest tax filings for his charity, Empowerment Ministries, Flake, 65, raked in $519,928 in 2008. His wife took in $449,509 the same year.

Most of the money came from groups related to the charity, including an undisclosed portion from the Empowerment Development Corp., the company Flake registered in 2008 in order to bid on the Aqueduct "racino" contract.

He and his wife were also paid by the Greater Allen AME Cathedral in Jamaica, Queens, where Flake is the pastor. Other funds came from Empowerment Music Group Recording Inc.

Only a small portion of his earnings, $68,000, came directly from the charity. His wife, the Rev. Margaret Elaine Flake, 61, received $43,000 from the group.

Flake, a former congressman, remains a Democratic kingmaker in Queens.

"Floyd Flake is extremely valuable to AEG because of his political clout in both Queens and New York state," said Ken Boehm, chairman of National Legal and Policy Center, a government watchdog group. "Now he appears to be dangling his support for the governor until AEG's bid is fully approved."

Flake did not return a call seeking comment.


I wonder what he'll do when the Feds come callin'.

Photo from the NY Times

10 comments:

georgetheatheist said...

"Gwine to Run All Night" ("Camptown Races") - Stephen Foster, 1850

De Camptown ladies sing dis song, Doo-dah! doo-dah!
De Camptown race-track five miles long, Oh, doo-dah day!
I come down dah wid my hat caved in, Doo-dah! doo-dah!
I GO BACK HOME WID A POCKET FULL OF TIN, Oh doo-dah day!

Gwine to run all night!
Gwine to run all day!
I'll bet my money on de bob-tail nag,
Somebody bet on de bay.

De long tail filly and de big black hoss, Doo-dah! doo-dah!
Dey fly de track and dey both cut across, Oh, doo-dah dey!
De blind hoss sticken in a bog mud hole, Doo-dah! doo-dah!
Can't touch bottom wid a ten foot pole, Oh, doo-dah-day!

[Chorus]

Old muley cow come on de track, Doo-dah! doo-dah!
De bob-tail fling her ober his back, Oh, doo-dah day!
Den fly along like a rail-road car, Doo-dah! doo-dah!
Runnin' a race wid a shootin' star, Oh, doo-dah-day!

[Chorus]

See dem flyin' on a ten mile heat. Doo-dah doo-dah!
Round de race track, den repeat, Oh, doo-dah day!
I WIN MY MONEY ON DE BOB-TAIL NAG, Doo-dah! doo-dah!
I KEEP MY MONEY IN AN OLD TOW BAG, Oh, doo-dah-day!

[Chorus]

PizzaBagel said...

Empowerment Ministries? Empowerment Development Corp.? Empowerment Music Group Recording Inc.? Three guesses who are being "empowered" -- and the first two don't count.

Rev. Floyd Flake and Rev. Margaret Elaine Flake are really raking it in. Apparently they're from the Church of What's Happenin' Now. (With apologies to Flip Wilson.) Gotta love that "Reverend" scam.

Anonymous said...

How silly. If the mayor would just give the Rev. and his wife $1 Million a year, as he does for the whites, we would not have to be bored with this crap.

Klink Cannoli said...

Some of these Reverends really need to be reminded what their roles are supposed to be as spiritual leaders for congregations. Too often are they entrepreneurs rather than clergy.

Rev. Floyd Flake is but one of many. During my days of making Gospel records, contact with the church was a natural part of the job. The opulence I witnessed by the top administrators, namely the senior reverends, were appalling. Extravagant homes, plush automobiles, finely tailored cloths and expensive jewelry were an obvious display with a backdrop of poor to middle class congregationalists. But NY is a small player compared to the churches in Chicago. Now there's some high rollers. The infamous Rev. Wright being top dog at the time.

Anonymous said...

The church approach is a tired one, but one that Rev Flake perfected obviously. There should be a rule or law that no former office holders may have an interest, employment or represent an entity which will receive a concession, grant or do any buisness the local, State and Federal government for 15 years or more. This should become federal law. Watch government be turned on it's head!

Anonymous said...

Funny how they're all "Reverends". All these holy men, wrapped up in stinking filthy money deals and politics.

Anonymous said...

in San Francisco, Rev. Jim Jones used his large flock of Koolade drinkers to vote as a block in city government
elections. the politicians greeted them with open arms and the public's taxes, as rewards for their votes.

and the beat goes on........

BTW, for the youth among us , he eventually forced his flock to commit suicide by poison drinks.

Anonymous said...

Why wasn't Floyed Flake investigated as to how he pickpocketed $10million from taxpayers to build his so-called church in Jamaica? Remember folks, he intentionally worked a short stint as a Congressman in Queens just to pass some legislation to get his church money--- and then he left Congress suddenly- to continue serving his god. His constituents
fell for it. Flake belongs in jail!

Anonymous said...

The US Dept of Education found some sloppy bookkeeping while Flake was President of Wilberforce University in Ohio:
http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/oig/auditreports/fy2008/a05g0029.pdf.

Anonymous said...

Flake is a Flake.............