From the NY Post:State Sen. Malcolm Smith and Congressman Gregory Meeks have funneled hundreds of thousands of dollars, including taxpayer money, into a charity led by their spouses and cronies -- an organization with almost no accountability on its spending.
Smith and Meeks, both Democrats, have championed New Direction Local Development Corp., a group based in their Queens districts that claims its mission is community development "in Far Rockaway and surrounding areas."
What, if any, community development it fostered is unclear. Only a few programs are detailed on the charity's tax filings, including money given to a senior-appreciation week, for a basketball and jump-rope tournament, a "family day" and a donation to Toys for Tots.
But it did spend $11,783 for meals and entertainment and $9,004 in federal tax penalties in 2007.
From the NY Post:
Some $150,000 in donations, including thousands the community raised to help victims of Hurricane Katrina, remains unaccounted for, according to Ken Boehm, head of the National Legal and Policy Center.
"When you see lots and lots of consulting fees with large amounts flashing around, at some point one wonders if an elected official is trying to sell their office," said Boehm.
"Sen. Smith, with respect to New Direction, violated several provisions of New York state law," he said.
Boehm says his group will lodge a complaint with the state's Public Integrity Commission this week.
4 comments:
i put a spell on them.....here come the judge....here come the judge.
You cann dress them up.............
Unfortunately, the State and Congressional Ethics Panels are a joke. Need to get Andrew Cuomo to investigate them.
could the community donations, of thousands of dollars for the Katrina survivors, be frozen in the ice trays in a Queens politicians refrigerator ?
A.Cuomo will not go there . that is where most of his sub-prime loan money was embezzled.
where did Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac disappear to ?
is it to hot of a scandal topic ?
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