Bronx Parents Housing Network - CEO VICTOR RIVERA -finally charged

I think the writing was on the wall for a long time - note this isn’t a criminal complaint or an indictment it’s a “information” which means Rivera had a decent defense attorney

In February 2021 the Bronx based Parents Housing Network was rocked by a pretty salacious scandal - ‘Nobody Tells Daddy No’: A Housing Boss’s Many Abuse Cases - reported by the New York Times - their explosive article and investigation, as detailed below;

• Ten women have accused Mr. Rivera, the CEO of one of the largest homeless shelter organizations in NYC, of sexual assault or harassment

• Mr. Rivera worked to silence women who accused him of misconduct. His organization paid two women $175,000 in settlements that included NDAs barring them from talking after they complained, records show.

• He also treated his nonprofit, The Bronx Parent Housing Network, as his personal empire: he lived lavishly, hired family members, entangled his for-profit businesses w/ his nonprofit and drove a Mercedes Benz leased by his homeless org

In general I’m not really a fan of NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio -it’s a personal thing -notwithstanding I can be intellectually honest enough to say this his February 7, 2021 directive to launch an independent audit was the right thing to do

Criminal Information as to VICTOR RIVERA

COUNT ONE; Honest Services Fraud Conspiracy; RIVERA was the President and Chief Executive Officer of Organization-1, which annually spent millions of dollars in public funds on real estate, security, cleaning, construction, and food expenses, among other costs related to the housing and social services Organization-1 provided…

From 2013 to 2020 Defendant RIVERA engaged in a scheme that unjustly enriched himself and members of his family. Soliciting and then accepting both kickbacks and bribes from contractors performing work for Bronx Parents Housing Network.

In furtherance of RIVERA’s scheme, he laundered some of the proceeds. Specifically from 2019 until in or about 2020, RIVERA and his co-conspirators, subleased property to Organization-1 wrote checks for “consulting fees” when said “fees: were actually which kickback payment.

RIVERA and his co-conspirators then laundered some of the corrupt payments via intermediary entities of which he controlled - one such entity was controlled by a family member of RIVERA…

Statutory Framework: - VICTOR RIVERA, the defendant, and others…willfully and knowingly, did combine, conspire, confederate, and agree together and with each other to violate.. 18 U.S.C. §1343 -Fraud by wire, radio, or television and 18 U.S.C §1346- Definition of ‘‘scheme or artifice to de- fraud’’

“…devised and intending to devise a scheme and artifice to defraud, and to deprive Organization-1 of its intangible right to the honest services of its President and CEO..”

COUNT TWO Honest Services Fraud - …the scheme and artifice to defraud. Which deprive Organization-1 of its intangible right to his honest services as Organization-1’s President and CEO. RIVERA then transmitted and caused to be transmitted by means of wire communication in interstate and foreign commerce and lastly RIVERA solicited and accepted bribes and kickbacks in exchange for directing contracts related to Organization-1 to certain businesses.

COUNT THREE - Money Laundering - in violation of 18 U.S.C. §1956(a)(1)(B)(i)

Defendant RIVERA knew the property involved with respect to certain financial transactions, (checks written) from a Consulting Company-1 bank account, represented the proceeds of some form of unlawful activity, willfully and knowingly conducted and attempted to conduct such financial transactions…

In an attempt to conceal the true nature of the funds RIVERA and his co-conspirators “in whole and in part to conceal and disguise the nature, the location, the source, the ownership, and the control of the proceeds of a specified unlawful activity”

Each of the counts carries a maximum potential prison sentence of 20 years. And remember this isn’t a Criminal Complaint or an Indictment - this is an information - you can read more here

US Attorney SDNY @SDNYnews

CEO of NYC non-profit charged in bribery and kickbacks scheme involving publicly funded housing and social services go.usa.gov/xst2G @NYC_DOI

go.usa.govCEO Of NYC Non-Profit Charged In Bribery And Kickbacks Scheme Involving Publicly Funded Housing And Social Services

And lastly I will keep repeating this - I’m not as partisan as some accuse me of - I don’t care if you’re a Republican, Democrat or an Independent - if you engage in corruption then I’m an equal opportunity critic. Because using a charity like your own personal slush fund to pay off sexual assault victims silence or to use a charity to unjustly enrich yourself or your family - I find that conduct egregious and untoward. Not to mention the vulgar abuse of public trust.