Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Was taxpayer money involved?

Powerful New York pro-choice activist investigated for financial misconduct

Kelli Conlin, the president of NARAL Pro Choice New York, resigned last month after an audit revealed “extensive alleged financial misconduct” during her tenure, reports YNN’s Capitol Tonight.

The audit, conducted by the accounting firm Marks Paneth & Shron, shows that over the last two years Conlin had been making numerous purchases on NARAL credit cards. The charges include high-end clothing, a summer rental in the Hamptons, and up to $100,000 on a car service to drop her children off at their Manhattan school.

The question now is whether any government agency within New York can investigate Conlin without a conflict of interest. Conlin, a powerful figure in New York’s Democratic party, actively campaigned for Andrew Cuomo, the state’s new governor, and Eric Schniederman, who was elected to replace Cuomo as Attorney General last year. Schniederman’s father Irwin sits on the board of NARAL and is the organization’s single largest donor.

Conlin also supported Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance Jr. during his election in 2009. According to Capitol Tonight, “the only investigatory entity without a possible conflict here is the IRS.”



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