Possible criminal charges related to CRC’s alleged misuse of taxpayer funds in Monroe County

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WHAM) – Criminal charges are now possible for alleged misuse of taxpayer funds in Monroe County.

Monroe County Executive Adam Bello previously said the Community Resource Collaborative’s investigation by the county Office of Public Integrity went deeper than a traditional audit.

The 38-page report describes significant financial mismanagement and highlights suspected fraudulent expenditures reported by Cameron Community Ministries, one of the recipient agencies receiving American Rescue Plan Act funds from the CRC.

This comes just a week after the New York Attorney General’s Office announced that it was seeking to disband the CRC.

BACKGROUND: Monroe County releases forensic investigation into alleged mismanagement of key federal funds | Millions of dollars for Rochester community organizations on hold after sponsor’s rejection

The audit report states: “The findings uncovered by OPI’s investigation violate the funding agreement and may also constitute a violation of state or federal law.”

Bello said the county turned over the results to the FBI and the attorney general’s office.

“This OPI investigation and EFPR audit should serve as a warning to anyone who believes they can get away with fraud in Monroe County that we will never stop in our efforts to uncover waste, fraud and abuse,” Bello said.

Monroe County Rep. Rachel Barnhart also weighed in on the investigation’s findings, saying they confirmed concerns she raised in her own analysis written months ago.

“I am very grateful for the Office of Public Integrity’s review, but there was no investigation into why the Bello administration awarded this contract in the first place despite numerous warning signs,” Barnhart said. “…and wanted to continue funding the Neighborhood Collaborative Project even after I reported numerous conflicts of interest and a problematic structure.”

I reached out to Cameron Community Ministries for comment, but the organization did not have one at this time.

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