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How did Philly lose track of $33 million?
Philadelphia Inquirer ^ | APRIL 27, 2018 | Claudia Vargas

Posted on 04/28/2018 6:37:17 AM PDT by george76

City officials are trying to figure out if $33.3 million is missing from the city’s main bank account.

The discrepancy is the amount the city reports having in its records vs. what bank statements show and was first flagged in the city’s 2017 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR), released in February. But the problem wasn’t widely known to the public until the current series of budget hearings — in which Councilman Allan Domb has peppered every city financial official about the unaccounted-for funds.

“I’m flabbergasted,” Domb said as he questioned the city’s treasurer earlier this month. “There could be a theft. I don’t really know what’s going on.”

...

Both current City Controller Rebecca Rhynhart and former Controller Alan Butkovitz say it shouldn’t have reached this point.

...

payroll records were not reconciled between late 2010 and last July, when, city Treasurer Rasheia Johnson said, she discovered the problem and asked her staff to start reconciling them and also the main cash account. Dubow said there don’t seem to be any discrepancies in payroll records.

Still, Domb said the city needs to operate like a business and not slip on essential accounting practices. He said if $33 million was not accounted for in his business, he would stay up all night trying to figure out what happened.

“It’s really important now because we are asking taxpayers to pay more in taxes when we aren’t managing effectively and efficiently the current money that they have been paying us,” Domb said

...

Not reconciling accounts is an inducement for wrongdoing

(Excerpt) Read more at philly.com ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Extended News; Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; US: California; US: Illinois; US: Maryland; US: Michigan; US: Pennsylvania
KEYWORDS: alanbutkovitz; allandomb; pennsylvania; philadelphia; rasheiajohnson; rebeccarhynhart; taxes; taxpayers
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1 posted on 04/28/2018 6:37:17 AM PDT by george76
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To: george76

It’s called three card monte


2 posted on 04/28/2018 6:42:00 AM PDT by P.O.E. (Pray for America)
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To: george76

Start by auditing democrats.


3 posted on 04/28/2018 6:42:25 AM PDT by FrankR (An armed society is a polite society.)
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To: george76
How did Philly lose track of $33 million?

It wasn't "lost". It was stolen by the psychotic criminal enterprise known as the Demonic Party.

4 posted on 04/28/2018 6:42:41 AM PDT by Common Sense 101
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To: P.O.E.

It’s the cops. Check out their donut account.


5 posted on 04/28/2018 6:43:03 AM PDT by DIRTYSECRET (urope. Why do they put up with this.)
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To: george76

We need a full audit and accounting of EVERY federal and state department and agency, to determine how much is really missing, where it went and who is responsible. $33 mil is a drop in the bucket, but a wake-up call.


6 posted on 04/28/2018 6:44:13 AM PDT by JimRed ( TERM LIMITS, NOW! Build the Wall Faster! TRUTH is the new HATE SPEECH.)
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To: george76

Democrats?


7 posted on 04/28/2018 6:44:28 AM PDT by BenLurkin (The above is not a statement of fact. It is either satire or opinion. Or both.)
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To: george76
Not reconciling accounts is an inducement for wrongdoing…


8 posted on 04/28/2018 6:45:06 AM PDT by ProtectOurFreedom
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To: george76

The money is in the pockets of a few political family-member “consultants” and “aides”.


9 posted on 04/28/2018 6:45:44 AM PDT by glennaro
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To: george76

Check the freezers of the City administrators.


10 posted on 04/28/2018 6:45:49 AM PDT by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
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To: P.O.E.

Check the beachfront condo sales in the Dom. Republic.

Nothing like single entry accounting. /smile


11 posted on 04/28/2018 6:46:50 AM PDT by ptsal ( Get your facts first, then you can distort them as you please. - M. Twain)
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To: george76

Probably in a coat pocket, or pair of pants they forgot they had it in..


12 posted on 04/28/2018 6:47:04 AM PDT by neverevergiveup
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To: george76

Bkmrk.


13 posted on 04/28/2018 6:47:14 AM PDT by Wolfie
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To: ptsal

14 posted on 04/28/2018 6:47:58 AM PDT by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
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To: george76

Dem grift. Especially amongst the, ah, duskier Dem brethren. “Reparations,” dontcha know.


15 posted on 04/28/2018 6:51:54 AM PDT by Noumenon (It isn't racist if it's true, is it?)
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To: george76

How stupid do they think we are? This isn’t like misplacing your phone or your reading glasses. This is criminal negligence. Someone(s) needs to go to jail.


16 posted on 04/28/2018 6:53:30 AM PDT by IronJack (A)
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To: All
ITEM---Philadelphia Congressman Chaka Fattah and Associates Charged with Participating in Racketeering Conspiracy

U.S. Department of Justice
July 29, 2015
Office of Public Affairs
(202) 514-2007/TDD (202) 514-1888

WASHINGTON—A member of Congress and four of his associates were indicted today for their roles in a racketeering conspiracy involving several schemes that were intended to further the political and financial interests of the defendants and others by, among other tactics, misappropriating hundreds of thousands of dollars of federal, charitable and campaign funds.

Congressman Chaka Fattah Sr., 58, of Philadelphia; lobbyist Herbert Vederman, 69, of Palm Beach, Florida; Fattah’s Congressional District Director Bonnie Bowser, 59, of Philadelphia; and Robert Brand, 69, of Philadelphia; and Karen Nicholas, 57, of Williamstown, New Jersey, were charged today in a 29-count indictment with participating in a racketeering conspiracy and other crimes, including bribery; conspiracy to commit mail, wire and honest services fraud; and multiple counts of mail fraud, falsification of records, bank fraud, making false statements to a financial institution and money laundering.

Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Zane David Memeger of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Special Agent in Charge Edward J. Hanko of the FBI’s Philadelphia Division and Special Agent in Charge Akeia Conner of the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Philadelphia Field Office made the announcement.

“As charged in the indictment, Congressman Fattah and his associates embarked on a wide-ranging conspiracy involving bribery, concealment of unlawful campaign contributions and theft of charitable and federal funds to advance their own personal interests,” said Assistant Attorney General Caldwell. “When elected officials betray the trust and confidence placed in them by the public, the department will do everything we can to ensure that they are held accountable. Public corruption takes a particularly heavy toll on our democracy because it undermines people’s basic belief that our elected leaders are committed to serving the public interest, not to lining their own pockets.”

“The public expects their elected officials to act with honesty and integrity,” said U.S. Attorney Memeger. “By misusing campaign funds, misappropriating government funds, accepting bribes, and committing bank fraud, as alleged in the Indictment, Congressman Fattah and his co-conspirators have betrayed the public trust and undermined faith in government.”

“These crimes and the subsequent elaborate cover-up constitute an egregious breach of public trust,” said Special Agent in Charge Hanko. “It is the duty of the FBI, IRS and Department of Justice to investigate and prosecute those who violate this trust and put personal gain above public service.”

“Public corruption by our elected officials and their associates undermines the American public’s confidence in our government,” said Special Agent in Charge Conner. “When our elected officials and their associates violate the law and create sophisticated financial schemes to enrich themselves, the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation, will work diligently with our fellow law enforcement partners to restore the public’s trust.”

Specifically, the indictment alleges that, in connection with his failed 2007 campaign to serve as mayor of Philadelphia, Fattah and certain associates borrowed $1 million from a wealthy supporter and disguised the funds as a loan to a consulting company.

After he lost the election, Fattah allegedly returned $400,000 to the donor that the campaign had not used, and arranged for Educational Advancement Alliance (EAA), a non-profit entity that he founded and controlled, to repay the remaining $600,000 using charitable and federal grant funds that passed through two other companies, including one run by Brand.

To conceal the contribution and repayment scheme, the defendants and others allegedly created sham contracts and made false entries in accounting records, tax returns and campaign finance disclosure statements.

In addition, the indictment alleges that after his defeat in the mayoral election, Fattah sought to extinguish approximately $130,000 in campaign debt owed to a political consultant by agreeing to arrange for the award of federal grant funds to the consultant. According to the allegations in the indictment, Fattah directed the consultant to apply for a $15 million grant, which he did not ultimately receive, on behalf of a then non-existent non-profit entity.

In exchange for Fattah’s efforts to arrange the award of the funds to the non-profit, the consultant allegedly agreed to forgive the debt owed by the campaign.

The indictment further alleges that Fattah misappropriated funds from his mayoral and congressional campaigns to repay his son’s student loan debt. To execute the scheme, Fattah and Bowser allegedly arranged for his campaigns to make payments to a political consulting company, which the company then used to lessen Fattah’s son’s student loan debt. According to the allegations in the indictment, between 2007 and 2011, the consultant made 34 successful loan payments on behalf of Fattah’s son, totaling approximately $23,000.

In another alleged scheme, beginning in 2008, Fattah communicated with individuals in the legislative and executive branches in an effort to secure for Vederman an ambassadorship or an appointment to the U.S. Trade Commission. In exchange, Vederman provided money and other items of value to Fattah. As part of this scheme, the indictment alleges that the defendants sought to conceal an $18,000 bribe payment from Vederman to Fattah by disguising it as a payment for a car sale that never actually took place.

Finally, the indictment alleges that Nicholas obtained $50,000 in federal grant funds that she claimed would be used by EAA to support a conference on higher education. The conference never took place. Instead, Nicholas used the grant funds to pay $20,000 to a political consultant and $10,000 to her attorney, and wrote several checks to herself from EAA’s operating account.

The charges and allegations contained in an indictment are merely accusations. The defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

The case is being investigated by the FBI and IRS-CI. Assistance was also provided by the Department of Justice’s Office of the Inspector General, the NASA Office of Inspector General and the Department of Commerce’s Office of Inspector General. The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorneys Eric L. Gibson, T. Patrick Martin and Jonathan Kravis of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul L. Gray of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Trial Attorney Bob Dalton of the Criminal Division’s Organized Crime and Gang Section also provided assistance in this case.

https://www.fbi.gov/philadelphia/press-releases/2015/congressman-chaka-fattah-and-associates-charged-with-participating-in-racketeering-conspiracy

17 posted on 04/28/2018 6:56:28 AM PDT by Liz ((Our side has 8 trillion bullets;the other side doesn't know which bathroom to use.))
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To: george76

Look up Pay to Play with Loop enterprise - Craig Robinson ____Street
And Senator Burris


18 posted on 04/28/2018 6:57:46 AM PDT by hoosiermama (When you open your heart to patriotism, there is no room for prejudice.DJT)
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To: george76

In Chicago, losing $33 Million Dollars would be an improvement over the Billions that are lost. Rahm still tells people that O’Hare and Midway Airports are losing money.


19 posted on 04/28/2018 7:01:09 AM PDT by EC Washington
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To: george76

The mob has most of it, the rest they passed around to liberal politicians.


20 posted on 04/28/2018 7:01:44 AM PDT by G Larry (There is no great virtue in bargaining with the Devil)
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