VAWA money embezzled;improperly spent

From SAVE services:

P.R.$1.2 Million in Anti-Violence Funds Embezzled, Missing, or Misused: Fraud is Widespread, SAVE Charges Apr 04,2012

Contact: Teri Stoddard
Email: tstoddard@saveservices.org

$1.2 Million in Anti-Violence Funds Embezzled, Missing, or Misused: Fraud is Widespread, SAVE Charges

Washington, DC/April 4, 2012 – Following release of three reports by the Department of Justice, Stop Abusive and Violent Environments (SAVE) is charging that many grants made under the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) are plagued by fraud and waste. Such malfeasance shortchanges the vulnerable victims of partner abuse.

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) issued three reports in March highlighting the problem:

1. A March 28 press release announced the sentencing of Julie and Andrea Matau for embezzlement of funds from a VAWA grant. From 2005 to 2007, the mother and daughter pair stole $159,763 in federal money from their American Samoa legal services corporation, which had received $1.2 million in VAWA-related grants. click here

2. A DOJ audit of the Virgin Islands Law Enforcement Planning Commission reported that $847,553 in funds awarded by the Office of Violence Against Women were found to be questionable. Of this amount, $372,434 of expenditures had no records to document how the money had been spent. click here

3. An audit of VAWA grants to the Coeur d’Alene Native American tribe’s domestic violence program revealed $240,431 had been improperly spent, including $171,000 in salary for an unapproved position. click here

Each year VAWA awards $500 million in grants to abuse-reduction organizations, but fiscal management practices have been found to be sub-standard. A SAVE report documents long-standing problems of fraud and abuse. click here

The SAVE report points out that the Office of Violence Against Women has not conducted comprehensive self-evaluations, in disregard of directives from the Government Accountability Office and Office of Management and Budget.

Says SAVE spokesman Philip W. Cook: “Victims of domestic violence are ill-served by fraud and waste, especially on such a broad scale. Congress must assure the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act contains strong accountability measures that deny funding to rogue grantees that misuse taxpayer money.”

Stop Abusive and Violent Environments is a victim-advocacy organization working for evidence-based solutions to partner violence: www.saveservices.org.

Source:click here

This goes to show that VAWA money was used for purposes other than what it was meant to be and a lot of it is being used fraudulently as these links will indicate. This is a big issue perhaps we should tell our elected officials and protest this waste. You can find your Congressperson and/or Senators here. Let them know about this waste,fraud and abuse.

Where is the VAWA money going?

The Senate Judiciary Committee vote on the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) was postponed until this coming week to allow more time for staff to negotiate several sticking points. And well they should, because victims are demanding to know, "Where's all the money going?"

Time and time again, domestic violence victims are being turned away by the very agencies that are supposed to be helping them, or are getting the DV runaround. One Department of Justice audit reached this disturbing conclusion:

$638,298, or about 47 percent, of $1.3 million given to Jane Doe, Inc., also known as the Massachusetts Coalition Against Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence, was identified as unsupported and unallowable payroll expenditures, unallowable bonus payments, and unallowable and unreasonable conference expenditures.

So the problem isn't a lack of funding. The problem is lack of accountability.

Today, right now, call the senators listed below. Tell them to assure the VAWA reauthorization bill S. 1925 is strengthened to assure accountability so taxpayer money is used the way it's supposed to be:

•Patrick Leahy 202-224-4242 email contact
•Herb Kohl 202-224-8992 email contact
•Dianne Feinstein 202-224-3841 email contact
•Chuck Schumer 202-224-6542 email contact
•Dick Durbin 202-224-2152 email contact
•Sheldon Whitehouse 202-224-2921 email contact
•Amy Klobuchar 202-224-3244 email contact
•Al Franken 202-224-1031 email contact
•Christopher A. Coons 202-224-5042 email contact
•Richard Blumenthal 202-224-2823 email contact

Fundamental reform of the Violence Against Women Act is within our grasp...take action now!!

Sincerely,

Teri

Teri Stoddard, Program Director

Stop Abusive and Violent Environments

www.saveservices.org

While we're asking where's the money going let's tell them to replace VAWA with the PVRA so that male victims of domestic violence are not shortchanged. If phoning is not in the equation then send email. Let's tell them to scrap VAWA,replace it with the PVRA and find out where the money is going. The more of us they hear from the better so call or write today.