Charles Rosen charged in Gloria Wise scandal

Via this we're directed to this report informing us that Charles Rosen - previously called "the Lenin of the North Bronx" and a former executive with the Gloria Wise Community Center - was charged with offenses including misappropriating $1.2 million from the Center. The Center ran the Gloria Wise Boys & Girls Club, which "loaned" $850,000 to help start Air America Radio. That "loan" was only recently repaid.

UPDATE: Under a plea agreement (announced by NY's Attorney General Eliot Spitzer), Rosen will reimburse GW for $38,575, and deputy director Jeffrey Aulenbach will pay back $32,363. Both will pay a whopping $5,000 in fines; Rosen will be barred from working for a (NY) non-profit for 3 years. Neither will serve jail time:

...But a source in Spitzer's office said "a lot of what is alleged in the DOI report cannot be proven," which is why Spitzer accepted pleas that didn't include time behind bars.

"We believe this is an appropriate punishment for the facts of our criminal case," said Juanita Scarlett, Spitzer's spokeswoman...

Of course, there's also the possibility that this is because Spitzer is a Democrat or that they thought pursuing this matter would run afoul of local power brokers.

UPDATE 2: From "SPITZ CALLS CLUB PLEA DEAL WISE":

"Any agreements that my office has entered into we obviously think are appropriate," [Attorney General Eliot Spitzer], the gubernatorial front-runner, said at the Columbus Day Parade on Fifth Avenue, "given all the various considerations and factors that you weigh: age, magnitude [of the crime] and then other factors."

In addition to questioning whether something else was involved in his decision, I have another question: why is "Spitz" celebrating Oppressor Day when he should instead be honoring Indigenous Persons Day?

Posted in Meta at October 6, 2006 07:44 AM

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