Friday, June 4, 2010

Over $640,000 stolen from DOE accounts: why the delay in reporting?


See news stories here and here about the electronic theft of $644,313.69 from a DOE account that went on for four years, before someone unconnected with the case complained to the bank, who alerted the special investigator. The full report from special investigator Condon is here. Excerpt from the report:

Excerpt: It is difficult to understand how the DOE accumulated years of account statements, reflecting hundreds of thousands of public dollars spent to pay bills, but did not review them. A cursory examination would have shown that the charges were not normal school expenses.

This is not the first time that SCI has found serious lapses in fiscal oversight within the DOE. Just last year, SCI reported substantiated findings about a clerk assigned to the unit then known as the Division of Assessment and Accountability who was able to steal more than $60,000 because no one looked at statements which reflected that he made thousands of dollars worth of personal purchases, including flying his family around the world.

Last month, SCI issued another report which pointed out the lack of financial oversight in a number of DOE schools.8 [ I can’t find it]

It is once again the recommendation of this office that the DOE take whatever steps necessary to address these serious and continuing problems.

This is the just the kind of story, revealing lax oversight of pervasive corruption, that in an earlier era and under another administration would have triggered the resignation of high level DOE officials. Especially in the days when Special Investigator Eddie Stancik would hold press conferences.

Here in NYC, it is just one more piece of evidence of Klein’s pervasive incompetence.

The question why this report is being released almost two years after the person in question was arrested for the theft. Why the delay?
To ensure that the findings would not hamper the mayor’s re-election, and/or the renewal of mayoral control?
Or is Condon finally fed up with the lack of proper oversight at the DOE?

2 comments:

Unknown said...
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revelationary said...

firing condon and klein would make my day fine. that double play would make my day. they both had a hand in my getting the finger from the nyc department of beheaducatiobn after a long and celebrated career as one of the best per diem teachers in history.