UPDATE: California Democrat Governor Gavin Newsom's office has responded to the task force in a statement to Townhall.
“Local governments must use state and federal homelessness dollars responsibly — and we expect them to deliver results. We share the federal administration’s goal of ensuring taxpayer funds are being used effectively to get people off our streets.”
***Original story***
The Department of Justice has launched a new criminal task force to investigate "fraud and corruption involving homelessness funds" in California.
Since 2020, the California government spent $24 billion on "the homeless" and yet, the rate of homelessness has only increased with additional funding.
"Officials have been unable to account for all the expenditures and outcomes, and the homeless crisis has only gotten worse. Taxpayers deserve answers for where and how their hard-earned money has been spent. If state and local officials cannot provide proper oversight and accountability, we will do it for them. If we discover any federal laws were violated, we will make arrests," United States Attorney Bill Essayli released in a statement.
The tax force is made up of local and federal law enforcement agencies, including proseutors from "the Major Frauds Section, the Public Corruption and Civil Rights Section and the Civil Division’s Civil Fraud Section of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California." The FBI, IRS and Department of Housing and Urban Development Office of Inspector General will also be involved.
"Partnering with federal law enforcement agencies, the Homelessness Fraud and Corruption Task Force will investigate crimes related to the misappropriation of federal tax dollars intended to alleviate homelessness in the Central District of California. The task force will prioritize a review of federal, state, and local programs receiving federal grants and funding. The task force will also investigate fraud schemes involving the theft of private donations intended to provide support and services for the homeless population," DOJ states.
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"Despite voter-approved initiatives and billions of dollars spent on tackling this issue, homelessness remains a crisis, especially in Los Angeles County. Last month, a court-ordered audit found that homelessness services provided by the city and county of Los Angeles were 'disjointed' and contained 'poor data quality and integration' and lacked financial controls to monitor contracts for compliance and performance," DOJ continues.
California Democrat Governor Gavin Newsom has not responded to the new task force.
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