logo
    • Magazine
    • Membership
    • Donate
  • Racial Justice
  • Economic Justice
  • Climate Justice
  • Health Justice
  • Leadership
  • CONTENT TYPES
  • Subscribe
  • Webinars
    • Free Webinars
    • Premium On-Demand Webinars
  • Membership
  • Submissions

Exec at Rangel’s Nonprofit Pulls in Fake IRS Refunds

Aaron Lester
October 22, 2010
Share
Tweet
Share
Email
Print

October 21, 2010; Source: National Legal and Policy Center | It seems controversy follows some people. Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY) has been dogged by questions of personal ethics for almost two years, including his failure to pay taxes on rental income from his beach house in the Dominican Republic.

Now, according to WebCPA.com, Kevin Crucey, a senior executive of the Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone, has pleaded guilty to submitting false and fraudulent tax returns to the Internal Revenue Service and cashing approximately $250,000 in fraudulently obtained tax refund checks.

The Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone is one of nine empowerment zones established by the Clinton Administration in 1994 to revitalize distressed communities by using public funds and tax incentives as catalysts for private investment. The embattled Rangel played a key role in the creation of UMEZ. He exercises dominating influence over its board of directors and has secured millions in federal earmarks for the nonprofit. Rangel directed millions in taxpayer money through UMEZ to another nonprofit known as Alianza Dominicana, which is Spanish for Dominican Alliance.

Sign up for our free newsletter

Subscribe to the NPQ newsletter to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox.

By signing up, you agree to our privacy policy and terms of use, and to receive messages from NPQ and our partners.

Crucey, a CPA, used his tax preparation business to file fraudulent tax returns using Social Security numbers and other identification information stolen from residents of Puerto Rico, according to prosecutors. The tax returns falsely claimed that the filers earned taxable income outside Puerto Rico but within the 50 states, and that they were entitled to a refund. Crucey then abused his high-level status at UMEZ to cash the refund checks and pocket the money.

It turns out Crucey is a member of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners. One might think basic ethics concepts might have rubbed off on him.—Aaron Lester

Share
Tweet
Share
Email
Print
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Aaron Lester

Share a little biographical information to fill out your profile. This may be shown publicly.

More about: Nonprofit News

Become a member

Support independent journalism and knowledge creation for civil society. Become a member of Nonprofit Quarterly.

Members receive unlimited access to our archived and upcoming digital content. NPQ is the leading journal in the nonprofit sector written by social change experts. Gain access to our exclusive library of online courses led by thought leaders and educators providing contextualized information to help nonprofit practitioners make sense of changing conditions and improve infra-structure in their organizations.

Join Today
logo logo logo logo logo
See comments

You might also like
To Build a Public Safety That Protects Black Women and Girls, Money Isn’t the Only Resource We Need
Shanelle Matthews
I Was Arrested For Protesting Racial Injustice—and Nearly Deported
Máxima Guerrero
World Building, Ancestral Wisdom, and Economies of Abundance
ChristinaMaria Xochitlzihuatl
Advancing Housing Justice: Three Key Steps
Peter Sabonis
Sustaining the Rising Tide of Black Co-ops: An Ecosystem Approach
Omar Freilla
What Do Justice and Democracy Require? Towards a Vision of Liberation
Kyle Strickland

NPQ_Summer_2022

Upcoming Webinars

July 14th, 2 pm ET

Combating Disinformation and Misinformation in 21st-Century Social Movements

Register Now
Group Created with Sketch.
July 28th, 2 pm ET

Changing the Subject

Boards As Social Movement Spaces

Register Now
You might also like
AOC’s “Tax the Rich” Dress Dazzles Met Gala, while...
Anastasia Reesa Tomkin
Foundation Giving Numbers for 2020 Show 15 Percent Increase
Steve Dubb
Strike MoMA Imagines Art Museums without Billionaires
Tessa Crisman

Like what you see?

Subscribe to the NPQ newsletter to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox.

See our newsletters

By signing up, you agree to our privacy policy and terms of use, and to receive messages from NPQ and our partners.

Independent & in your mailbox.

Subscribe today and get a full year of NPQ for just $59.

subscribe
  • About
  • Contact
  • Advertise
  • Copyright
  • Careers

We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our website.

 

Non Profit News | Nonprofit Quarterly
Powered by  GDPR Cookie Compliance
Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

Strictly Necessary Cookies

Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.

If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.