RADAR Alert: Blow the Whistle on VAWA Waste, Fraud, and Abuse!

Domestic violence programs around the country have become larded with waste, fraud, and abuse. These are some recent examples:

MICHIGAN: Two weeks ago the Michigan Department of Human Services affirmed its decision to require the SafeHouse Center of Washtenaw County to repay the state $483,000 for services it billed for but apparently never provided. The state’s decision follows on the resignation of executive director Susan McGee, who admitted in 2001 she had falsified financial reports to cover up delinquent tax payments.

Click "Read more" for more.

MINNESOTA: This past May, Paulette Wang, former treasurer of Asian Women United, pleaded guilty to stealing $265,000 from her domestic violence organization. Ms. Wang is scheduled to be sentenced on August 1.

NEBRASKA: A 2005 audit by the U.S. Department of Justice of Legal Aid of Nebraska identified $1.3 million in non-allowable and questionable expenses. TEXAS: An audit of a VAWA grant to the Texas Office of the Governor discovered that $852,000 in claimed matching costs could not be documented.

WISCONSIN: A DoJ audit of the domestic violence program in Dane County concluded, “we question $1,766,964 in grant funds received.” The total amount of the grant was $1,771,146 -- which means 99% of the total grant expenditures were questionable!

That's just the beginning. The Equal Justice Foundation has compiled dozens of examples of domestic violence programs that abuse women and children and violate the civil liberties of men. [http://www.ejfi.org/DV/dv-25.htm#pgfId-998197] And, RADAR has issued five Special Reports that document widespread abuses under VAWA.

IT’S TIME TO BLOW THE WHISTLE ON VAWA ABUSE.

Earlier this week our Truth and Consequences campaign got a HUGE boost – an Alert went out to one million Americans, asking them protect families from VAWA abuse: http://capwiz.com/sicminc/issues/alert/?alertid=8899031&type=CO

Now we need to capitalize on that message. So this week we are asking you to take 5 minutes to make two telephone calls and send one fax or e-mail:

1. Call both of your Senators at the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121. When the receptionist answers, state your name and the city where you live, and then explain, “I am calling to ask Senator _________ to request an investigation into the rampant waste, fraud, and abuse involving the Violence Against Women Act.” (If you do not know the names of your Senators, just ask the switchboard operator.)
2. Send a message to Mr. Glen Fine, Inspector General at the Department of Justice. His fax number is 1-202-616-9884. His e-mail is inspector.general-at-usdoj.gov. Your message should be factual, something like this:

Dear Mr. Fine:

I am writing to request that your Office investigate the widespread waste, fraud, and abuse involving Violence Against Women Act funds. The media has recently reported the following examples of fraud:- Two weeks ago the Michigan Department of Human Services affirmed its decision to require the SafeHouse Center of Washtenaw County to repay the state $483,000 for services it billed for but apparently never provided. The state’s decision follows on the resignation of executive director Susan McGee, who admitted in 2001 she had falsified financial reports to cover up delinquent tax payments.

- This past May Paulette Wang, former treasurer of Asian Women United in Minnesota, pleaded guilty to stealing $265,000 from her domestic violence organization. Ms. Wang is scheduled to be sentenced on August 1.

Department of Justice auditors have also documented waste among VAWA grantees:- An audit of Legal Aid of Nebraska identified $1.3 million in non-allowable and questionable expenses. (Audit Report No. GR-60-05-012)- An audit of a VAWA grant to the Texas Office of the Governor discovered that $852,000 in claimed matching costs could not be documented. (Audit Report No. GR-80-05-008)

- An audit of the domestic violence program in Dane County, Wisconsin concluded, “we question $1,766,964 in grant funds received.” The total amount of the grant was $1,771,146, which means 99% of the total grant monies were questionable. (Audit Report No. GR-50-04-003)

Many other examples of waste, fraud, and abuse have been documented by watchdog organizations such as Respecting Accuracy in Domestic Abuse Reporting [http://www.mediaradar.org/docs/VAWA-Discriminates-Against-Males.pdf]. Please act now to ensure that these abuses stop NOW.

I look forward to hearing your decision on this request.

Sincerely,

Your name
Address
Telephone

Register now for the National Family Law Reform Conference, to be held September 15-16 in Alexandria, Virginia (near Washington, DC). The conference will address the crisis of family law, including biased family courts, false allegations of domestic violence, child abuse, and much more. For more information: http://www.acfc.org/site/Calendar?view=Detail&id=100021

Date of RADAR Release: July 11, 2006

R.A.D.A.R. – Respecting Accuracy in Domestic Abuse Reporting – is a network of concerned men and women working to assure that the problem of domestic violence is treated in a balanced and effective manner. http://www.mediaradar.org/.