$$ TRAIL TO 'AIR AMERICA' KIDS CLUB

NY Post ^ | August 26, 2006 | MURRAY WEISS

[Gomez]

The indictment of state Sen. Efrain Gonzalez is the tip of a massive corruption probe into taxpayer-funded programs, including the scandal-scarred youth group that lent $875,000 to launch liberal radio network Air America, The Post has learned.

Federal prosecutors and the city Department of Investigation are zeroing in on ties between the West Bronx Neighborhood Association - which Gonzalez is accused of using as his piggy bank - and the Gloria Wise Boys & Girls Club and its affiliate, Pathways for Youth.

The Co-op City-based Gloria Wise, with an annual budget of $10 million, was one of the largest social-service providers in The Bronx before its city contracts for youth and elderly services were terminated when the astonishing Air America loan was disclosed in July 2005.

[csvset]

Ping

[LowOiL]

Hee hee hee, and now they are cutting back broadcast size even in liberal NYCity (said in my best chili advertisment voice said by a bunch of good ole cowboys)...

[Darkwolf377]

I'd forgotten all about this story. Nice to see it re-emerge around election time--how much you want to be the DUmmies theorize Karl Rove cllaed "his cronies" in the lib press to put this out now?

[thegreatbeast]

The early favorite for feel-good story of the day.

[Anti-Bubba182]

Did Air America ever pay the money back?

[csvset]

Looking at his Bio, I see that he was a Teamster. Now there's a Culture of Corruption.

[backhoe]

We followed the earlier scandals here:

Air America Scandal-- Click the picture-

[Anselma]

"Looking at his Bio, I see that he was a Teamster. Now there's a Culture of Corruption."


Now, he's a Dumpster, I mean Demster. I've been wondering how much the Mob is into the Greens/Environmental movement, re garbage hauling and "recycling" (they get their raw materials from us, free!!!)

[arthurus]

and the network agreed to pay back the money.

But did they pay back the money? Did they intend to pay back the money?The words "agree" and "intend" are not necessarily synonymous.

[NonValueAdded]

The scandal forced Gloria Wise founder and $227,000-a-year director Charles Rosen to resign, and the network [Err America] agreed to pay back the money.

Did that ever happen??? If so, did the money go to the club or back to the taxpayers who provided it in the first place?

[1rudeboy]

There used to be a time when folks on FR would fight tooth-and-nail to make certain that articles such as this one would be posted here in their entirety. I'm off to check the copyright list. I'll be back.

[1rudeboy]

Blast. The NY Post is on it. Good job.

[Roccus]

They've been "...on it." for more than a year. Now I know that the wheels of justice grind exceding slow, I guess the wheels of the NY Post, NY's oldest newspaper, turn at the same RPM. I guess I should be satisfied that scandals like this are being published at all, but I find little satisfaction in seeing nothing done about them. Still, I wish that there was a paper here in WV that would investigate AND publish all the corruption in this state. <<>>

[Leisler]

"..they get their raw materials from us, free!!!)"

Plueeezzzeee!

Do you think modern government would give away, free, when in fact it usually PAYS to have taken what could be done free?

Leisler's Rules on Government.

1. Government will always pay for what could be gotten or done for free.

2. What ever must be paid for, will be overpaid, under quality, and late.

3. Any exceptions to Rule 1 and 2, are anomalies, flukes, accidental and will not be repeated.

[Liz]

Thanks for the ping. The facts of this swindler's activities using government funds are nothing short of astounding.

Gonzalez founded the scam non-profit West Bronx Neighborhood Association - which he used as his personal piggy bank - and he had ties to the Gloria Wise Boys & Girls Club---the scam outfit involved in the Air America fraud.


Gloria Wise made a mysterious $112,500 payout to Gonzalez's phony non-profit West Bronx Neighborhood Association in 2001, writing the cash off as a line item on accounting budgets as "consultant" fees, according to the IRS.....one way non-profit fraudsters skim off government grants.

FReeper Grampa Dave is an expert in tbe area of non profit scams.

The Air America "loan" swindle was arranged by one of its founders, Evan Montevel-Cohen, who was simultaneously a $74,000-a-year development director at Gloria Wise.

Montevel-Cohen has since vamoosed. Gloria Wise had its city contracts terminated when the astonishing Air America loan was disclosed in July 2005.

[Liz]

"Looking at his Bio, I see that he was a Teamster. Now there's a Culture of Corruption." ........ Now, he's a Dumpster, I mean Demster.

LOL-----nice zingers, guys.

[lowbridge]

bump

[lowbridge]

Former Air America Executive Denounces Transfers of Funds From Bronx Club

[Grampa Dave]

Thanks for the ping.

Did I miss any reference to the great AG of NY investigating this real crime?

A quick scan of the article noted that the Feds and a division of NY City are the ones investigating this.