January Edition 2010 - New York Nonprofit Press

January ‘10 New York Nonprofi t Press www.nynp.biz 7
NEWS
Busted! Nonprofit Administrator Arrested for Stealing
SYEP, 21st Century Funds
Debby Denise Matthew Campbell, aka
Denise Matthewº, was arrested last month
on federal bank fraud and embezzlement
charges for allegedly stealing more than
$40,000 in Summer Youth Employment
Program (SYEP) and 21st Century Learning
Center funds. The thefts allegedly occurred
during periods from 2004 through
2007 while Campbell managed programs
at Caribbean and American Family Services
(CAFS) and Mid-Bronx Senior Citizens
Council.
Campbell reportedly stole more than
$20,000 during 2004 and 2005 while managing
the SYEP program operated by
CAFS. Campbell enrolled SYEP participants
who were either completely non-existent
or did not actually work in the program.
Campbell then used the debit cards
CAB is Now BronxWorks
Citizens Advice Bureau is now Bronx-
Works. The agency celebrated its name
change at a ceremony attended by friends
and supporters, including Congressman
Jose E. Serrano, Deputy Mayor Linda
Gibbs, Deputy Borough President Aurelia
Greene, and Assemblywoman Vanessa
Gibson and Bernice Williams, Vice Chair
for Bronx Community Board 5.
“The old name no longer fits what we
do. The new name is a more accurate reflection
of our purpose and it makes clear
to people that we are a Bronx-based organization,”
said Executive Director Carolyn
McLaughlin at a ceremony last month
marking the event.
The Citizens Advice Bureau was
founded in the Morris Heights section
of the Bronx in 1972. It was based on
a British model that emphasized the provision
of neighborhood-based walk-in
services to help people obtain benefits,
address housing matters, and avoid consumer
scams.
“We have clearly grown beyond
that,” says McLaughlin, who has led
BronxWorks since 1979. “Our organization
is a leading direct service provider
for children, working age adults, seniors,
and families.”
In 2009, BronxWorks was a finalist
for the highly-coveted New York Times
Nonprofit Excellence Award, a testimony
to its superior management practices and
outstanding service to low-income individuals,
households, and communities.
Robert Hess, the commissioner of the
New York City Department of Homeless
Services, has lauded BronxWorks for its
street homeless initiatives, which have
resulted in a 72% reduction in the number
of homeless individuals on Bronx streets
between 2005 and 2009.
The name change did not occur overnight
or in a vacuum.
issued by the New York City Department
of Youth and Community Development
(DYCD) to pay these individuals and made
withdrawals for her own purposes. Campbell
reportedly falsified attendance and
work records for these phony participants
who were assigned to work sites outside
New York City.
As part of the fraudulent documentation,
Campbell falsified letters indicating
that the non-existent SYEP program participants
were homeless youth living in
a Jackson Heights group home operated
by another agency where she had once
been employed. That agency did not, in
fact, operate group homes and the address
provided was a residence of an individual
whose estate was managed by Campbell’s
spouse. In addition to these non-existent
“Our board, senior
staff, and key
stakeholders were
engaged in a process
that entailed several
months of careful
review and deliberation,”
explains
McLaughlin. “We
looked at many options
before moving
ahead with the name
change, which is accompanied
by a new
tagline and logo, as
well as a refined
mission statement.”
A board committee,
created by CAB board chair Sean
Delany, and chaired by United Way of
program participants, Campbell also reportedly
falsified work records authorizing
SYEP payments for her son and another
youth who lived with Campbell
In a separate incident, Campbell allegedly
stole over $18,000 from a 21st Century
Learning Program which she managed
for Mid-Bronx Senior Citizens Council. In
March 2007, Campbell was terminated by
Mid-Bronx after it was revealed that she
was simultaneously employed on a fulltime
basis by both Mid-Bronx and another
agency. It was then learned that Campbell
had allegedly stolen more than $18,000 by
falsely double endorsing checks made out
to other program employees and depositing
them into her own bank account.
“This defendant devised elaborate
schemes to steal thousands of dollars that
BronxWorks’ Executive Director Carolyn McLaughlin unveiling the name
change of CAB to BronxWorks
New York City president and CEO Gordon
Campbell oversaw the process.
instead should have helped young people,
according to the charges,” said Department
of Investigation Commissioner Rose Gill
Hearn. “This case drives home the importance
of DOI’s ongoing efforts with the U.S.
Attorney’s Office for the Southern District
of New York to expose unscrupulous insiders
who loot nonprofits and ensure that they
face justice.”