According to the Sacramento Bee, San Francisco Chronicle, Davis VanGuard and a letter from various environmental groups to the California legislature, the California District Attorney Association has allegedly misused state funds earmarked for enforcement of environmental laws.
Humboldt County District Attorney Maggie Fleming is on the CDAA Board of Directors. CDAA responded to these allegations to a letter from the California Attorney General which is referenced by The Davis Vanguard.
CDAA’s Chief Executive Officer, Gregory Totten, responded to a letter from the AG’s office and admitting that “CDAA was not moving expeditiously enough to address the accounting issues.”
“I write on behalf of the Board of Directors for the California District Attorneys Association (CDAA) to formally request an investigation by your office into the unauthorized transfer and expenditure of asset forfeiture and high-tech funds by former staff members at the Association,” Totten wrote.
According to Totten, CDAA receives one percent of the funds forfeited under California’s Asset Forfeiture Law.
This provision requires that the funds be used “for the exclusive purpose of providing a statewide program of education and training for prosecutors and law enforcement officers in ethics and the proper use of laws permitting the seizure and forfeiture of assets under this chapter.”
However, Totten acknowledged in the letter “the internal reports noted above disclose the following unauthorized and improper use of these funds by Association staff.”
This includes about $1.26 million in asset forfeiture funds which have been transferred to and used for CDAA general fund purposes. About $1 million of that occurred between 2015-2020.
"The California District Attorneys Association, a statewide advocacy group for prosecutors, siphoned nearly $3 million that was supposed to be used for public-advocacy litigation and used it to fund training and lobbying, according to a recent audit of the group’s finances."
"The audit, performed by the San Francisco accounting firm Hemming Morse, found that the association had a practice of “borrowing” funds obtained from workplace and environmental settlements since 2004, “during periods when CDAA experienced cash flow shortfalls.” The agency repeatedly padded its general fund with money earmarked for specific purposes, the audit found."
"CDAA’s finances revealed that for the past decade, the district attorneys group has repeatedly misappropriated funds — totaling nearly $3 million — from environmental enforcement and instead used the money for other purposes, including extensive lobbying efforts in the state Capitol against criminal justice reforms.
CDAA’S FINANCES REVEALED THAT FOR THE PAST DECADE, THE DISTRICT ATTORNEYS GROUP HAS REPEATEDLY MISAPPROPRIATED FUNDS — TOTALING NEARLY $3 MILLION — FROM ENVIRONMENTAL ENFORCEMENT AND INSTEAD USED THE MONEY FOR OTHER PURPOSES, INCLUDING EXTENSIVE LOBBYING EFFORTS IN THE STATE CAPITOL AGAINST CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORMS."
https://www.sacbee.com/opinion/california-forum/article249668988.html
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