- See more at: http://blogtimenow.com/blogging/automatically-redirect-blogger-blog-another-blog-website/#sthash.Q6qPkwFC.dpuf Peter Rivera's Pet Non-Profit Involved in Corruption Probe | Bronx News Networkbronx

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Peter Rivera's Pet Non-Profit Involved in Corruption Probe

The head of a Bronx nonprofit organization that's received substantial funding from Assemblyman Peter Rivera was slapped with corruption charges today, according to a complaint from Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara.

David Griffiths is being charged with "making false statements in connection with a grand jury proceeding, obstructing justice, and mail fraud in connection with an application to obtain a state grant," according to a release.

The complaint goes on to detail how Griffiths' nonprofit received almost all of its income from an unnamed "certain member of the Assembly" between 2003 and 2007.

Though the nonprofit and the Assembly member aren't explicitly named, the website for the Bronx group NETS, or Neighbohood Enhancement for Training Services, Inc., lists Griffiths as its executive director and "a part of NETS since November 2003."

The site also names Assemblyman Peter M. Rivera as the organization's sponsor since 2002 (it's on the mission page of their website, here, at the bottom. NETS' homepage also features a photo of a smiling Rivera, and then there's this picture on Flickr of the Assemblyman handing out turkeys with NETS staff in 2005)

The Daily News first broke the story of Rivera's too-close ties to NETS back in 2009. The article says Rivera gave the group up to $979,000 in funds, names Griffiths as Rivera's campaign treasurer, and says that Rivera's son was also once employed there.

Another News story said that then-Attorney General Andrew Cuomo was investigating Rivera for his connection to NETS, something we asked the Assemblyman about in November, after we heard he'd been picked to serve on Cuomo's gubernatorial transition team.

“There is nothing going on there,” a flustered Rivera told us then.

We'll keep you posted on this.

0 comments:

Post a Comment

Bronx News Network reserves the right to remove comments that include personal attacks, name calling, foul language, commercial advertisements, spam, or any language that might be considered threatening, libelous or inciting hate.

User comments are reviewed by BxNN staff and may be included or excluded at our discretion.

If what you have to say is unrelated to this particular post, please visit our readers' forum.