Saturday, June 21, 2008

OJJDP scandal: Flores Is Subject of Criminal Probe.


From Washington Post:

Federal prosecutors have opened a criminal investigation of a Justice Department grant-making official amid questions about his hiring practices, travel expenses and personal ties to groups to which he gave millions of dollars, according to two sources familiar with the probe.

Scrutiny of J. Robert Flores, leader of a Justice Department office that dispenses juvenile justice and crime prevention grants, intensified yesterday as lawmakers called him to Capitol Hill to explain why he brushed aside recommendations from career staff members to hand out more than $8 million in awards last year.

Also, Flores raises scrutiny over juvenile crime prevention grants of Winona State from one of the lawmakers in the hearing.

From Post Bulletin:
Rep. Tim Walz, D-Mankato, said the process was misleading and unfair to the applicants because the grant criteria indicated the final awards would be made based on a peer review process.
The issue for Walz was the decision by Flores not to award any money to the nonprofit National Child Protection Training Center at WSU, which trains law enforcement and other professionals who come in contact with child abuse cases. Of 104 applicants to the department, the center ranked fourth after peer reviews and rankings by department staff.

According to Winona Daily News: The WSU’s NCPTC, ranked fourth by the teams with a score of 96.5 and recommended to Flores, was passed over for a grant, as were the top-six scorers. In all, Flores awarded only five recommended applicants with grants, while five nonrecommended applicants received awards, including one ranked 53rd.

No comments: