La. prosecutor probes ACORN after embezzlement

**Jason** · 10-08-2009, 08:11 AM

NEW ORLEANS – Louisiana's attorney general said Tuesday he has stepped up an investigation into embezzlement at ACORN nearly a decade ago, but the prosecutor and community activist group clashed over how much money was taken.

Louisiana Attorney General Buddy Caldwell claimed the figure was $5 million, but ACORN said the sum hadn't changed from slightly less than $1 million.

ACORN said its chief executive officer estimated it could cost up to $5 million to "get everything together" in the aftermath of the embezzlement, but the group's leaders claim only $948,607 was stolen.

The prosecutor's new figure was reported in a subpoena filed last week. He was seeking information from a company that provided bookkeeping, accounting and other financial management services to ACORN.

ACORN said Caldwell was basing the $5 million figure on remarks Chief Executive Officer Bertha Lewis made during an October 2008 board meeting.

"The $5 million figure was an off-handed remark by Bertha as a worst-case scenario for what it could potentially cost to get everything together," ACORN President Maude Hurd said in a statement. "Lawyers, accountants and consultants were quite expensive, and the board needed to know that. Bertha's remarks have since been taken out of context."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091006/...y.BFJKe350fNdF

Tumbleweed36 · 10-08-2009, 08:25 AM

Is this Bertha lady the same one who has been on TV lately saying ACORN has done nothing wrong with the exceptions of a couple of illegal (on the part of the persons who caught them) "entrapment" cases by these people who had the videos?

yustr · 10-09-2009, 07:37 AM

Wait.

Someone steals money from an organization and somehow its the organization that smells bad? Change ACORN to ALCOA and reread the paragraph. Sounds pretty silly now, doesn't it.

(I have to wonder what office Mr. Caldwell happens to be running for? )

**djaburg** · 10-09-2009, 10:15 AM

I guess it's more that the closer one looks at ACORN the more one sees "issues" to be looked at.

10-08-2009, 08:11 AM	#1 (permalink)
Jason Faugh a ballagh Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Pasco, FL Posts: 8,477 OS: Windows Vista My System Blog Entries: 2	La. prosecutor probes ACORN after embezzlement NEW ORLEANS – Louisiana's attorney general said Tuesday he has stepped up an investigation into embezzlement at ACORN nearly a decade ago, but the prosecutor and community activist group clashed over how much money was taken. Louisiana Attorney General Buddy Caldwell claimed the figure was $5 million, but ACORN said the sum hadn't changed from slightly less than $1 million. ACORN said its chief executive officer estimated it could cost up to $5 million to "get everything together" in the aftermath of the embezzlement, but the group's leaders claim only $948,607 was stolen. The prosecutor's new figure was reported in a subpoena filed last week. He was seeking information from a company that provided bookkeeping, accounting and other financial management services to ACORN. ACORN said Caldwell was basing the $5 million figure on remarks Chief Executive Officer Bertha Lewis made during an October 2008 board meeting. "The $5 million figure was an off-handed remark by Bertha as a worst-case scenario for what it could potentially cost to get everything together," ACORN President Maude Hurd said in a statement. "Lawyers, accountants and consultants were quite expensive, and the board needed to know that. Bertha's remarks have since been taken out of context." http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091006/...y.BFJKe350fNdF __________________ Posting Tips \| Advice for New People \| Common Fixes \| Agus na damnaithe fágtha gan focal Glaoigh ormsa i measc na naomh

10-08-2009, 08:25 AM	#2 (permalink)
Tumbleweed36 Asst Manager Hardware Join Date: May 2005 Location: USA Posts: 19,662 OS: XP Professional	Re: La. prosecutor probes ACORN after embezzlement Is this Bertha lady the same one who has been on TV lately saying ACORN has done nothing wrong with the exceptions of a couple of illegal (on the part of the persons who caught them) "entrapment" cases by these people who had the videos? __________________ ---------- I don't receive email notifications of replies to subscribed threads. (Internet provider policy) Therefore, if I don't respond to your post within 24 hours, please send me a reminder PM and include the link to your thread.

10-09-2009, 07:37 AM	#3 (permalink)
yustr Asst. Manager, The Conversation Pit Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Connecticut shore Posts: 6,052 OS: XP Pro My System	Re: La. prosecutor probes ACORN after embezzlement Wait. Someone steals money from an organization and somehow its the organization that smells bad? Change ACORN to ALCOA and reread the paragraph. Sounds pretty silly now, doesn't it. (I have to wonder what office Mr. Caldwell happens to be running for? ) __________________ If there are lawyers or politicians involved, logic may be a very poor tool for reaching a conclusion.

10-09-2009, 10:15 AM	#4 (permalink)
djaburg TSF Enthusiast Join Date: May 2008 Posts: 1,321 OS: XP SP3/Vista/7 Server 2K/2K3/2K8	Re: La. prosecutor probes ACORN after embezzlement I guess it's more that the closer one looks at ACORN the more one sees "issues" to be looked at. __________________ Computers make it easier to do a lot of things, but most of the things they make it easier to do don't need to be done. The inherent vice of capitalism is the uneven division of blessings, while the inherent virtue of socialism is the equal division of misery.