Did Albany Corruption Fund a City Nonprofit?
Monday, December 09, 2013
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Relief Resources, a mental health nonprofit in Borough Park, was used as an unnamed example in the Moreland Commission report on Albany corruption. (Anna Sale/WNYC)
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A panel appointed by Governor Cuomo to investigate corruption
in Albany charged last week that lawmakers were steering millions in
taxpayer funds to a Brooklyn nonprofit that seemed to be providing
little in the way of services. The blistering report provided tantalizing clues
as to the identity of the nonprofit - but stopped just short of naming
names. Now that mystery is solved - though many questions remain about
just what the public is getting for its money.
WNYC asked listeners to help figure out the identity of the nonprofit singled out by the state Moreland Commission.
One listener turned out to have some special expertise: Robert Gearty, a former investigative reporter for the New York Daily News, took a look at records showing the millions of dollars in grants legislators steered to organizations and pet projects. One clue in the report - that the nonprofit also had offices in two foreign countries - pointed him toward a Boro Park group called Relief Resources.
And then WNYC heard from reporter Nick Powell of City & State, a publication that reports closely on government affairs. A source familiar with the investigation confirmed for Powell that Relief Resources is, indeed, the mystery nonprofit mentioned in the Moreland report.
Benjamin Babad, Relief Resources' program director, told WNYC on Friday that our call was the first he was hearing about the Moreland Commission. He said the nonprofit has served thousands of people - but did not return further calls on Monday seeking more information.
Nick Powell of City & State contributed reporting.
One listener turned out to have some special expertise: Robert Gearty, a former investigative reporter for the New York Daily News, took a look at records showing the millions of dollars in grants legislators steered to organizations and pet projects. One clue in the report - that the nonprofit also had offices in two foreign countries - pointed him toward a Boro Park group called Relief Resources.
And then WNYC heard from reporter Nick Powell of City & State, a publication that reports closely on government affairs. A source familiar with the investigation confirmed for Powell that Relief Resources is, indeed, the mystery nonprofit mentioned in the Moreland report.
Benjamin Babad, Relief Resources' program director, told WNYC on Friday that our call was the first he was hearing about the Moreland Commission. He said the nonprofit has served thousands of people - but did not return further calls on Monday seeking more information.
Nick Powell of City & State contributed reporting.
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Anna Sale, Reporter, WNYC News
Anna Sale covers politics for WNYC, including the 2013 mayoral race. During the 2012 presidential election, she traveled the country to tell the stories of voters in early primary battlegrounds and swing states. She has hosted The Brian Lehrer Show and The Takeaway and contributed to NPR, Marketplace, CNN, PBS Newshour, MSNBC, BBC, Slate, and NY1.
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Robert Lewis, Reporter, WNYC News
Robert Lewis is a reporter for WNYC. He joined the station in December 2012 after a decade as an ink-stained wretch, working for newspapers across the country. He was previously on the investigations team at Newsday where he reported on prescription drug abuse, problems at a local housing authority and the Long Island Power Authority.
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