By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Journalist
NARAL New York is now under investigation for financial mismanagement and fraud by Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance.
LifeNews is reporting that the criminal probe surrounds the firing of NARAL New York president Kelli Conlin who left her position last month after a forensics audit uncovered financial problems dating back to 2008 and earlier. Conlin held the position for 20 years.
The accounting firm that conducted the audit, Marks Paneth & Shron, found numerous questionable charges on NARAL credit cards used by Conlin between 2008 and 2010. These charges include $5,709 in high-end clothing purchased at Giorgio Armani and Barney’sk, $17,000 for a reimbursement for a Hamptons summer rental Conlin used in 2009, and $100,000 worth of car services used by Conlin to have her children taken to and from a private school in the city. She also appears to have racked up a $22,000 tab on meals with friends, some of whom were not associated with her work.
According to the New York Post, Vance is already “actively investigating” the pro-abortion group.
But the trouble doesn’t stop here.
“There is also potential political fallout as NARAL significantly bankrolled and supported the 2010 election campaign of Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, whose father, Irwin, sits on the New York NARAL board,” writes LifeNews. “Irwin Schneiderman has had a seat on the New York NARAL board for a decade and contributed $75,000 in the past several years. Conlin also supported Vance during the 2009 elections.”
Schneiderman representative Danny Kanner spoke with the Post about the problems and the probe.
“Because of the nature of his father’s association with the organization, Attorney General Schneiderman will recuse himself from any investigation into the matter,” he said, adding that an independent counsel would “oversee any potential investigation or agency action in this matter.”
NARAL has not commented on the problems but the New York chapter released a statement last week saying, “No conclusions have been reached based on the information gathered thus far, and there has been no determination as to whether there was any wrongdoing that would require the notification of the legal or regulatory authorities. The preliminary report that has been obtained is in draft form and the organizations are involved in an ongoing investigation.”
According to the audit, the New York chapter of NARAL operates on a $4.5 million budget with Conlin receiving $309,000 in 2009, which includes a $90,000 bonus.
Upon hearing about the abortion scandal in New York, Kristan Hawkins, Executive Director of Students for Life commented to LifeNews.com.
“The recent mess that NARAL of New York has found itself in proves once again that the abortion industry and their affiliates are deceiving young women,” she said. “The recent audit which found massive misappropriation of funds shows just how corrupt pro-abortion groups are. They are not in it to help women, but rather for their own selfish profit.”
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