An audit of the D.C. organization that former Councilman Harry Thomas Jr. used to funnel city funds to himself was requested nearly seven months ago yet still has not been started.
D.C. Council members and the city learned Friday, after Thomas pleaded guilty to theft and tax fraud, that federal prosecutors were continuing to target the Children and Youth Investment Trust Corp. for further investigation. In a meeting later that day, Ward 4 Councilwoman Muriel Bowser said she had requested an audit of the trust in July 2011 and had just reiterated her request in a letter to D.C. auditor Yolanda Branche.
Branche told The Washington Examiner on Tuesday that the reason the audit was not immediately conducted — and still has not been launched — is because it is difficult to obtain the necessary documents quickly when an entity is being investigated.
“Given the ongoing [federal] investigation we didn’t want our audit to hinder that,” she said.
Branche also added that a separate audit report on the District’s earmarking process released in February 2010 cited the trust for not properly monitoring programs funded by those provisions. The council banned in 2009 the practice of directing money in revenue bills to pet projects.
Bowser’s letter on Friday to Branche and the Office of the Inspector General reiterates her request for a “full analysis of the [CYITC’s] role in administering District government funds,” particularly with respect to procedures for minimizing political influence. Her original request was verbal and in response to the D.C. Attorney General’s lawsuit against Thomas, which accused him of funneling more than $300,000 in city funds to himself.
Thomas settled the suit with the city and agreed to pay back the money without admitting guilt. Following a federal investigation, however, he pleaded guilty last week and resigned. Prosecutors have recommended he spend up to four years behind bars.
The trust is under the purview of Ward 1 Councilman Jim Graham’s committee on Human Services. Graham said Tuesday that he has been requesting documentation and materials from the trust regarding its internal controls since the summer.
“I know I’ve had my fair share of earmarks, but I’ve always assumed they properly [tracked] their expenditures,” he told The Examiner.
Graham said he is considering issuing a report on his findings or could launch a council-led investigation with subpoena power into the trust.
