Scam shows city government worries more about doling out fun

[SlapHappy]

https://nypost.com/2019/03/11/scam-show ... ifference/

Scam shows city government worries more about doling out funds than making a difference
By Post Editorial Board March 11, 2019 | 7:32pm | Updated
Enlarge Image
The New York City Hall building
The New York City Hall building Christopher Sadowski


With an alleged scammer facing criminal charges for defrauding the city of $220,000 via a phony social service charity, the City Council and Mayor’s Office are blaming each other for letting it happen. Plainly, they’re both right.

It’s also additional evidence that they care more about doling out cash for a “good cause” than whether any good — or even any actual work — gets done.

A week ago, the city Department of Investigations busted Renauld Gregg (a k a Dr. RA Gregg) and Cherynne Caro, the CEO and COO of Second Chance Resources Group, on grand larceny and welfare fraud charges.

It seems the outfit exists only on paper, so it never did the AIDS counseling and education that the city paid it to provide.

Sources say the scheme succeeded in part because Gregg kept his name off the official paperwork: A criminal background check would’ve revealed his history of grand larceny, impersonating an attorney, failing to report income and theft.

But a simple visit to the group’s headquarters would’ve done the job: The Post discovered that the listed address holds only his father’s law office.

For two years, a sham nonprofit was able to scam funding because officials at the City Council, the Mayor’s Office and the departments of Health and Youth and Community Development failed to do anything resembling due diligence.

Gregg allegedly ingratiated himself with then-Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito and Bronx City Councilwoman Vanessa Gibson. But you’d think that a “charity” with no track record would have to show some ability to get work done. Not so.

The City Council’s various social service slush funds hand out grants to more than 2,000 nonprofits every year. Outright scams may be rare, but it’s obvious that no one’s much worried about results.

No wonder first lady Chirlane McCray is so shocked at questions about whether her Thrive NYC initiative makes much of a difference. That’s not the standard in this town.