New at eleven !
05-31-2008, 12:47 PM
As written in SNOOZEDAY;
In a scathing report, the state's Commission of Investigation Thursday criticized the union leadership representing Suffolk County correction officers for "highly questionable" accounting practices that failed to explain spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on things like airline tickets for board members' relatives, big-screen televisions and golf outings.
"Recpts were the exception, not the rule," said the 19-page report. It followed a two-year commission investigation spurred by an anonymous tip from a member of the Suffolk County Correction Officers Association.
In a statement, union president Vito Dagnello said the union "fully expected and accepts" the commission's recommendations to tighten financial controls and oversight. He said union officials "cooperated fully" with investigators and have already begun changing thr policies and procedures.
Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy, who has clashed with union leaders before, said the report confirms his belief that "the leadership of this union does not have the best interest of its members at heart."
The investigation, which reviewed union finances from January 2000 to October 2006, uncovered "highly dubious accounting practices by these union officials," commission chairman Alfred Lerner said in a statement. "Without proper accounting for these funds, the appearance of misuse and impropriety and outright theft is unavoidable. Officials have a lot of work to do if they can retain thr postions long enough to restore confidence in how they are spending union dues."
Most of the improprieties outlined in the report deal with the use of union-issued corporate credit cards, business house accounts at restaurants, mileage and travel rmbursements, and cash disbursements.
The commission found that expense vouchers submitted by union members to explain charges on the corporate American Expense account were mostly "incomplete or incorrect with explanations sketchy or non-existent."
The report gives as an example June 2004 charges by Dagnello for a restaurant and lodging for two, (himself and an unidentified female), in Florida that were explained on his expense voucher simply as "Albany." When asked, His wife did not remember bng in Florida with Vito in June of 2004?
"In explaining a $3000 charge for a meal, a member might put 'CUSA,' an acronym for the National Corrections Officers' Association, and no other explanation of the expense," according to the report.
Union members were allowed to charge personal expenses to corporate accounts under the "honor system ... that is, officers would not claim expense rmbursements to 'make up for' personal charges," the report said.
Yet many of the board members bills were entirely paid for out of union membership monies?
Members were also allowed to use other members' corporate cards. Union treasurer Charles Sclafani used his card to book a flight to attend an Ohio convention for Dagnello and Dagnello's brother, Michael, who is a correction officer, but not a member of the union's board, the report said. This junket cost the membership on $4300. for a suite at the local convention site, first class airline tickets, meals and bar bills totalling $2389. for only three days and for two persons.
From January 2003 to June 2006, the union racked up more than $289,000 in corporate American Express charges, of those charges only a scant 751. was paid for out of pocket by union bosses.
Despite the union's bylaws requiring that all financial records be audited by an independent accountant, and despite claims that this illegal activity was ongoing by one of thr own members well over five years ago, union members dismissed the claims as nonsense and allowed Mr. Dagnello to continue on his spending spree. The union also did not provide one completed audit to the commission, or the thr membership during the past ght years - according to the report.
BYE - BYE VITO !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
In a scathing report, the state's Commission of Investigation Thursday criticized the union leadership representing Suffolk County correction officers for "highly questionable" accounting practices that failed to explain spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on things like airline tickets for board members' relatives, big-screen televisions and golf outings.
"Recpts were the exception, not the rule," said the 19-page report. It followed a two-year commission investigation spurred by an anonymous tip from a member of the Suffolk County Correction Officers Association.
In a statement, union president Vito Dagnello said the union "fully expected and accepts" the commission's recommendations to tighten financial controls and oversight. He said union officials "cooperated fully" with investigators and have already begun changing thr policies and procedures.
Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy, who has clashed with union leaders before, said the report confirms his belief that "the leadership of this union does not have the best interest of its members at heart."
The investigation, which reviewed union finances from January 2000 to October 2006, uncovered "highly dubious accounting practices by these union officials," commission chairman Alfred Lerner said in a statement. "Without proper accounting for these funds, the appearance of misuse and impropriety and outright theft is unavoidable. Officials have a lot of work to do if they can retain thr postions long enough to restore confidence in how they are spending union dues."
Most of the improprieties outlined in the report deal with the use of union-issued corporate credit cards, business house accounts at restaurants, mileage and travel rmbursements, and cash disbursements.
The commission found that expense vouchers submitted by union members to explain charges on the corporate American Expense account were mostly "incomplete or incorrect with explanations sketchy or non-existent."
The report gives as an example June 2004 charges by Dagnello for a restaurant and lodging for two, (himself and an unidentified female), in Florida that were explained on his expense voucher simply as "Albany." When asked, His wife did not remember bng in Florida with Vito in June of 2004?
"In explaining a $3000 charge for a meal, a member might put 'CUSA,' an acronym for the National Corrections Officers' Association, and no other explanation of the expense," according to the report.
Union members were allowed to charge personal expenses to corporate accounts under the "honor system ... that is, officers would not claim expense rmbursements to 'make up for' personal charges," the report said.
Yet many of the board members bills were entirely paid for out of union membership monies?
Members were also allowed to use other members' corporate cards. Union treasurer Charles Sclafani used his card to book a flight to attend an Ohio convention for Dagnello and Dagnello's brother, Michael, who is a correction officer, but not a member of the union's board, the report said. This junket cost the membership on $4300. for a suite at the local convention site, first class airline tickets, meals and bar bills totalling $2389. for only three days and for two persons.
From January 2003 to June 2006, the union racked up more than $289,000 in corporate American Express charges, of those charges only a scant 751. was paid for out of pocket by union bosses.
Despite the union's bylaws requiring that all financial records be audited by an independent accountant, and despite claims that this illegal activity was ongoing by one of thr own members well over five years ago, union members dismissed the claims as nonsense and allowed Mr. Dagnello to continue on his spending spree. The union also did not provide one completed audit to the commission, or the thr membership during the past ght years - according to the report.
BYE - BYE VITO !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!