Ex Senator Surrends in Another Case of Abuse of A Non-Profit

As I wrote recently, the new powerful political machines are not made up of do-gooder reform types, but not-for-profits funded by our tax dollars and controlled by politicians. In another textbook example of this type of corrupting relationship, Celeste Katz at the Daily News reports that Ex State Senator Hiriam Monserrate has surrendered to the U.S. Attorney's office today to face charges that he used a charity he controlled to run for office. The investigation is looking into charges that while he was an elected official, Monserrate provided hundreds of thousands of dollars to a Queens not-for-profit organization in exchange for workers at the organization helping out his campaigns. In another sign of a too close relationship, his former chief of staff, Julissa Ferreras, served as chair of the not for profit (of course, she went on to become a Councilwoman herself). All of this provides more evidence of what we reported in a post a week ago regarding Vito Lopez in Brooklyn, that the new powerful political machines are government funded not-for-profit organizations. With little oversight and public disclosure, it's an arrangement that will continue to be ripe with corruption.