The Continuing Scandal At Air America

CaptainsQuartersblog.com ^ | Aug. 1. 2005 | Captain Ed

[libs_kma]

Man, sucks to be a lib don't it?

Well, at least garafolo has that successful acting career to go back to.

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

[Fido969]

If NPO funds were diverted like this for political purposes, this IS a big story. Funny how a year ago the MSM was drenched with hyped-up garbage about Rush, but can't spare a drop of ink for this.

[kcvl]

According to IRS filings Mr. Rosen earned nearly $148,000 in 2003 from the Gloria Wise organization for working approximately 23 hours a week as executive director. Previously, Mr. Rosen worked as a typographer for the New York Post and was active in union politics, leading a rent strike in Co-op City in the early 1970s.

[MplsSteve]

Remember...it's only a scandal IF

(a) it involves Republicans

(b) the MSM chooses to report on it

[Christopher Lincoln]

Until hell freezes over is my guess.

[kcvl]

Jeanette Graves is the director of consitutent services for Bronx City Councilmember Larry Seabrook.

Jeanette Graves has been named by Larry Seabrook’s Committee on Vacancies to replace him on the ballot.

[DB]

There should be a court order demanding repayment immediately. The likelihood of Air America being around in two years isn't high. In addition, it doesn't matter if they "have to meet payroll" or not, it is stolen money they're meeting the payroll with now.

[kcvl]

Hugh Hewitt website...


The Gloria Wise Boys and Girls Club IRS Form 990
July 29, 2005 04:40 PM PST

Form 990s are filed by all not-for-profits. They are public documents. Here's the one for the Gloria Wise Community Center for the period ending June 30, 2003. Still looking for a more recent filing.


BTW: 18 USC Section 1001 is The False Statements Act. That's why such forms as this one (and all of Air America's filings) had better accurately reflect the realities of the organizationn's finances.

It appears that --in the year ending June 30, 2003, the Gloria Wise Boys and Girls Club had little investment income --$21,596-- which makes it odd indeed that the group would make a huge "investment" the following year. It also appears that in the year covered by the 990, the group got $3,774,920 from government gants, and only $529,740 from the public in the form of contributions. (It also earned $562,095 from services which people paid for.)


Note Line 54 --the Club had no investments this year. None.

This is strange indeed. If contributions from the public remained relatively constant from this year to next, the Club would have been "investing" almost all of their non-government funding in Air America. Every government grant I have ever seen specifically addresses the purposes for which it must be used, and I have never seen one that authroizes investments in rickety politicla start-ups.


Wow, and wow again. Where is Elliot Spitzer. What did Al Franken know and when did he know it?

Read this IRS Reg on "Inurement." This is the source for a lot of conflicts investigations in the not-for-profit world.

******


Here is the web site for the Gloria Wise Community Center. Here's the link to the Center's Camp Air America. What do campers learn? Creative accounting.

Here's the budget info on the web site:

Staff:
181 full-time
548 part-time
Budget managed:
$17.2 million
Budget distribution:
Pre-school: 22%
Youth services: 48%
Camp: 3%
Older Adults services 12%
Administration: 13%
Development: 2%


******


Here's the transcript of the CNN "Inside Politcs" segment on Air America's Children's Crusade:


JOHNS: Air America Radio is attracting a lot of attention from bloggers today. For more on that, let's check in with CNN political producer Abbi Tatton, and Jacki Schechner, our blog reporter -- Jacki.

SCHECHNER: Hi, Joe.

Well, many of the conservative bloggers are talking about a New York investigation into the possible diversion of funds from an inner city Boys and Girls Club to the liberal radio station Air America. This started with Brian Maloney over at TheRadioEqualizer.blogspot.com.

He picked up a small mention as part of a larger article in the "New York Daily News." And as part of that article, it turns out that the former CEO of Air America was also on the board of that Boys and Girls Club. And that's where the investigation continues right now into what sort of diversion of funds may have taken place.

TATTON: Working with Brian Maloney on the store is Michele Malkin at MicheleMalkin.com. She's been really pushing it. This is a blogger driven story that she feels is not getting enough coverage in the mainstream media.

Michele has been linking to statements put out from Air America on this case. What they're essentially saying is the funds in question that are being investigated were to previous business owners of Air America, that they have nothing to do with those preview business owners and so they are not responsible for what's going on here.

The debate carrying on at DailyKos.com, whether webmaster of Air America, that's Adam Mordecai, is posting the most recent statement saying that they have no obligation to the previous business owners, but their still working with the Boys and Girls Club. And very much the Boys and Girls Club very much has the support of Air America.

SCHECHNER: That did not stop the conservative blogs from posting all sorts of headlines like "Al Franken Steals Money From Kids and Old Folks" or things like JackLewis.net, "Liberals Stealing From Poor Kids." They really, you could take your pick of blogs on this one. That sort of vein.

But over at the larger blogs like WhizbangBlog.com, they're doing what Michele Malkin and what Brian are doing, and they're looking deeper into the statement from Air America saying whatever the answers are at this point, it's not enough for them. And they are going to continue to push the investigation.

Joe, we will send it back to you.

[ken5050]

If you have a self-styled major media network, which has all along maintained that it is well funded, and an increasingly commercial success, and paying Al FRanken near $1 mill a year, ..unable to IMMEDIATELY return $800k that it illegally obtained, and from a non-prodit Boys and Girls organization to boot..well..sounds to me like they have HUGE $$$$ problems....What would AA say if, oh, for example..Tom Delay got an illegal $100k campaign contribution in a similar manner, but announced that he would promise to pay it back over 2 years..

[prairiebreeze]

The money, which was reportedly paid to Air America as a loan, was supposed to be paid back with interest, two unidentified informed sources told the News. One source added that Air America officials, led by an official of the Gloria Wise Club, agreed to help the local club by publicizing its activities.

Good heavens. Another article I read early on mentioned how the youth day camp was involved with fund raising for Err America.

[prairiebreeze]

yes, Camp Air America, that's what I read about before.

So, they're still milking donations through it...lovely.

[God luvs America]

if the blame comes down on Cohen it will be no big deal...he's already been discredited and left Err America a while ago....what needs to be investigated and found is a link from this loan to a present day Err America employee....some dirtbag like Randi Rodent, Franken or Garofolo...

[prairiebreeze]

Tommy Tanaka (so-called R-Guam) plead guilty to corruption charges and Cohen was his chief of staff. Man, this just keeps getting better. I wonder if there's a background story on Rex Sorensen? Why does the name Sorensen sound familiar?

[prairiebreeze]

Whiney CNN blog reporter, LOL!

[jetson]

They recalled being impressed by the wealthy clientele and the large sums of money he raised, according to Ms. Graves.

Just proves the point that some people with money are just as stupid as the ingrate left who wander the streets.

[prairiebreeze]

Err America promised to pay the loan back. They made no such move to repay one penny until this scandal story broke.

I'd say there's quite a lot of 'splainin' that needs to come from AA.

[6SJ7]

"Garafolo": the sound my sister's cat makes when it coughs up a hair-ball.

[mware]

NYP had an article in their Sunday edition. I have not seen todays NYP.

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You bet he would. The lefts hypocrisy knows no bounds.

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That's what I thought. Jeez.