Andre Soleil
Photo: Tamara Beckwith
[From article]
Four government agencies, including the IRS and the New York Attorney General’s Office, have demanded the group’s books and records, which have allegedly been held hostage by the Rev. Andre Soleil and his cronies, according to the Manhattan Supreme Court suit.
Soleil, a former aide to Mayor Rudy Giuliani and Gov. George Pataki, joined the West Harlem Community Organization board in 2011.
The Brooklyn attorney and Republican operative quickly gained control of the nonprofit’s seven apartment buildings, which were deeded to the group by the city in the 1990s for affordable housing, according to the lawsuit, which was filed by the organization.
[. . .]
Then, Soleil, 47, sold one of the buildings, 218 W. 116th St., without required permission from the state attorney general, to a Miami-based company for $1.4 million in December 2013, the suit says.
“Where the majority of the proceeds from this unlawful sale have gone is a mystery but, upon information and belief, defendants Copeland, Soleil and Worley have been personally enriched by this scheme,” the nonprofit’s lawyer, William Fried, says in the court papers.
Soleil has refused to account for all the proceeds, though the suit alleges he put $489,000 in his law firm’s escrow account “with the intent to convert those funds for his own use.” Court papers allege another $70,000 went to pay Copeland’s salary, even though the nonprofit’s board refused to authorize the payment.
The members say they also haven’t seen a dime of rental income from the other buildings.
http://nypost.com/2015/04/21/politically-connected-reverend-accused-of-fleecing-nonprofit/
Politically connected reverend accused of fleecing nonprofit
By Julia Marsh
New York Post
April 21, 2015 | 1:31am
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