Category: Special Report

Continued Culture of Corruption at Domestic Abuse Shelters

Post author By Edward Bartlett
Post date March 27, 2024

Continued ‘Culture of Corruption’ at Domestic Abuse Shelters

Coalition to End Domestic Violence

March 27, 2024

Over the past 25 years, abuse shelter managers have engaged in numerous instances of fiscal mismanagement and embezzlement. The CEDV report, Accountability and Oversight of Federally-Funded
Domestic Violence Programs, documents 16 instances of fraud from 1998 to 2020.

Such fraudulent activities have continued to the present time, as revealed by these seven cases:

Bookkeeper for domestic violence shelter pleads guilty in $300,000 embezzlement scheme

March 26, 2024

A woman pleaded guilty Tuesday in Tulsa federal court to tax evasion and bank fraud linked to the embezzlement of nearly $300,000 from a now-closed Bartlesville domestic violence shelter.

Ex-CEO of Florida Coalition Against Domestic Violence arrested

September 20, 2023

Tiffany Carr and others are accused of padding the books at the defunct taxpayer-funded organization to compensate themselves.

Nuns accuse domestic violence shelter boss of spending facility’s cash on pricey dinners, luxe shopping sprees

July 29, 2023

The former director of an embattled Hells Kitchen domestic violence shelter spent the facility’s cash on pricey dinners and luxe shopping sprees, according to court papers.

At least $60,000 has gone missing under Deborah Pollock’s watch, claim the Franciscan Sisters of Allegany, who opened the Dwelling Place in 1977 — but were hauled into court last week after they abruptly shuttered the facility.

Former Executive Director of Nonprofit Receiving Grant Funds Charged with Grand Theft and Falsification of Records

June 23, 2023

On June 22, 2023, the former Executive Director of a nonprofit organization called the Riverside County Coalition for Alternatives to Domestic Violence (ADV) that receives federal grant funds in Riverside, California, was charged following an amended criminal Complaint with three counts of grand theft and one count of falsification of records.

Bookkeeper theft prompts changes at Oasis Safe Haven

February 4, 2023

Lake Charles, LA (KPLC) – Oasis Safe Haven provides shelter for women who have been abused and need to get out of danger. It’s been a favorite for those wishing to donate to a worthy cause. …

Boudreaux pleaded guilty to theft over $25,000, but investigators concluded the theft was closer to $200,000.

Former bookkeeper of federally funded domestic violence shelter sentenced to prison for misusing shelter funds on personal expenses

September 28, 2022

CINCINNATI – The former bookkeeper of My Sister’s House, a now-shuttered domestic violence shelter in Washington Court House, Ohio, was sentenced in U.S. District Court today to 12 months in prison for crimes related to stealing funds from the shelter. [employee stole more than $50,000]

Non-Profit Ceo Sentenced to Two Years in Federal Prison After Pleading Guilty to Wire Fraud in Connection with the Misuse of Federal Funds Intended for the Treatment of Survivors of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault

October 26, 2021

Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis sentenced Glenda Hodges, age 72, of Clinton, Maryland, yesterday to two years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, after Hodges pleaded guilty to two counts of wire fraud, in connection with the misuse of federal funds, and other fraud related to non-profit and for-profit entities that Hodges operated, and additional fraud committed while Hodges was on pretrial release for the wire fraud charges.

Culture of Corruption

There’s nothing new about these actions. Domestic violence advocates have engaged in fraudulent behavior for years. In 1993, for example, they promoted a story that “domestic violence spikes on Super Bowl Sunday.” However, when scholars tried to find the source for this claim, they discovered the claim was simply made-up.

PR: Appellate Court Decisions Reveal Widespread Due Process Deficiencies

Post author By Edward Bartlett
Post date April 22, 2021

PRESS RELEASE

Contact: Rebecca Stewart

Telephone: 513-479-3335

Email: info@saveservices.org

Appellate Court Decisions Reveal Widespread Due Process Deficiencies. Oberlin, Purdue, and USC the Most Egregious Cases.

WASHINGTON / April 22, 2021 – A new report summarizes 23 appellate court decisions of college procedures for handling allegations of sexual misconduct. Titled, “Appellate Court Decisions for Allegations of Campus Due Process Violations, 2013-2020,” the SAVE report summarizes the 23 court rulings, which document major deficiencies in the procedures that colleges and universities utilize to investigate and adjudicate allegations of sexual misconduct.

One or more of the appellate rulings apply to all colleges, public and private, in the following 31 states: AR, CA, CT, DE, IA, ID, IL, IN, KY, LA, MA, ME, MO, NJ, NY, OH, OR, MA, ME, MN, MT, ND, NE, NV, PA, RI, SD, TN, VT, WA, and WI. The report notes that 67% of all U.S. colleges are located in these states.

The most egregious cases involved the following three institutions:

Oberlin College, which advertised on its website that it had a 100% conviction rate.
Purdue University, where two hearing board members admitted to not reading the investigative report, but still voted to expel the accused student.
University of Southern California, which relied on a “judge, jury, and executioner” single-investigator model.

From a legal perspective, the most important ruling was the Doe v. Purdue University case, which made future allegations of sex discrimination easier to prove. The Seventh Circuit Court ruled that a student only needed to “raise a plausible inference that the university discriminated against [him] ‘on the basis of sex.’” (1)

Overall, the decisions enumerate a broad range of protections that are due on college campuses regarding adequate notice of the allegations, impartial and accurate investigations, disclosure of evidence to the accused, cross-examination, fair hearings, lack of conflict of interest among college officials, proper use of testimony, and institutional compliance with its own policies.

Seven public opinion polls have been conducted in recent years, all documenting that a strong majority of Americans support due process on campus (2). Recent editorials and statements by liberal and conservative voices reveal continued support for campus fairness (3).

SAVE urges college officials to become fully acquainted with the appellate decisions, and continue to fully implement the new Title IX regulation, which upholds rights and protections for both complainants and the accused. The new SAVE report is available online (4).

Links:

SAVE is leading the national policy movement for fairness and due process on campus: www.saveservices.org

Campus Sexual Assault Special Report Victim-Centered Investigations

PR: Railroading the Innocent: SAVE Calls on University Administrators to End ‘Victim-Centered’ Investigations

Post author By saveadmin
Post date October 26, 2016

Contact: Christopher Perry

Telephone: 301-801-0608

Email: cperry@saveservices.org

Railroading the Innocent: SAVE Calls on University Administrators to End ‘Victim-Centered’ Investigations

WASHINGTON / October 26, 2016 – A report issued today probes a recent spate of lawsuits against universities, and calls on college administrators to stop the use of so-called “victim-centered” investigations to probe allegations of campus sexual assault. The report concludes such methods are “inconsistent with the most basic notions of fairness, repudiate the presumption of innocence, and are likely to lead to wrongful determinations of guilt, thereby increasing schools’ liability exposure.”

Titled “Victim-Centered Investigations: New Liability Risk for Colleges and Universities,” the report analyses 18 lawsuits filed by students who had been accused of sexual misconduct, and in which the judge ruled in favor of the accused student. In all 18 cases, students alleged the university committed investigational improprieties. The paper classifies the investigational flaws into categories such as “Incomplete/Inadequate Collection of Evidence” and “Overt Bias/Predetermination of Guilt.” (1)

The report also highlights the recent Office for Civil Rights determination against Wesley College of Delaware. According to the OCR, the college did not conduct any meaningful investigation of the accused student’s perspective. The Washington Post concluded, “In this case, the OCR found virtually everything wrong and therefore, a violation of Title IX’s protections against discrimination.”

“Victim-centered” methods abandon traditional notions of impartiality and objectivity. They instead call on investigators to presume that “all sexual assault cases are valid unless established otherwise by investigative findings” (2). Harvard Law School professor Jeannie Suk describes the victim-centered concept as an extreme “near-religious teaching” that is likely to discredit future rape victims (3). An Expert Panel composed of attorneys and professional investigators recently rejected “victim-centered” methods, calling for them to be replaced by “justice-centered” approaches (4).

SAVE has developed a model bill titled the Campus Equality, Fairness, and Transparency Act (CEFTA). The bill mandates the use of “justice-centered” investigations that would require campus investigators to “discharge their duties with objectivity and impartiality” (5). More information about victim-centered investigations is available (6).

Citations:

Stop Abusive and Violent Environments (SAVE) is working for effective and fair solutions to campus sexual assault: www.saveservices.org

Civil Rights Discrimination Domestic Violence Innocence Law Enforcement Press Release Prosecutorial Misconduct Research Sexual Assault Special Report Wrongful Convictions

PR: Prosecutor Bias and Misconduct are Widespread, Says SAVE Report

Post author By saveadmin
Post date May 15, 2013

PRESS RELEASE

Contact: Teri Stoddard
Telephone: 301-801-0608
Email: tstoddard@saveservices.org

Prosecutor Bias and Misconduct are Widespread, Says SAVE Report

WASHINGTON / May 15 – A new report by Stop Abusive and Violent Environments highlights the problem of unethical conduct by prosecutors at the state and federal levels. “Prosecutor Bias and Misconduct in Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence Cases” concludes a number of prosecutors have pursued overly zealous practices in sexual assault and domestic violence cases. Such practices erode constitutional guarantees of due process of law and probable cause.

Prosecutors are ethically required to evaluate allegations and only pursue those backed by probable cause. That’s because they wield the power of the state against the modest power of individuals who may be charged. Over the past two decades, prosecutors have often abandoned that role in favor of “win at any cost,” claims the new study.

That’s particularly true when the allegations involve sexual assault or domestic violence, according to the SAVE report.

Former sex-crimes prosecutor Rikki Klieman has noted, “Now people can be charged with virtually no evidence.” In the case of the Central Park Five, for example, five minors were coerced by prosecutors and police into pleading guilty to a crime they had no part in. The prosecutor obtained the confessions despite the absence of objective evidence connecting them to the crime.

The same is true in domestic violence cases.

Despite the fact that half of domestic violence is perpetrated by women, the vast majority of those arrested and charged are men. That’s because “dominant perpetrator” laws encourage the arrest of the larger, stronger partner, i.e., the man. Such gender-biased charging policies are unconstitutional, notes the SAVE report.

Prosecutor malfeasance has real-world consequences. In Virginia, 15% of sexual assault convictions were shown to be false by DNA evidence. In domestic violence cases, some 80 – 85% of allegations are ultimately recanted, but “no-drop” policies mean prosecutors often pursue them anyway.

“For the sake of our families and our system of justice, prosecutors must be held to long-established ethical standards,” says S.A.V.E. spokesperson Sheryle Hutter. “Probable cause and due process of law cannot be sacrificed on the altar of political expediency.”

S.A.V.E.’s new special report can be viewed here: http://www.saveservices.org/downloads/Prosecutor-Bias-Misconduct-in-Domestic-Violence

Stop Abusive and Violent Environments is a victim-advocacy organization working for evidence-based solutions to partner violence and sexual assault: www.saveservices.org.

Bills CAMP Domestic Violence Law Enforcement Press Release Research Restraining Order Special Report Victims Violence Violence Against Women Act

PR: Ideology Over Science: Anti-Abuse Policies Put Victims at Risk, SAVE Report Says

Post author By saveadmin
Post date February 11, 2013

PRESS RELEASE

Contact: Teri Stoddard
Telephone: 301-801-0608
Email: tstoddard@saveservices.org

Ideology Over Science: Anti-Abuse Policies Put Victims at Risk, SAVE Report Says

WASHINGTON / February 11, 2013 – Widely used criminal justice measures intended to curb partner abuse are in fact placing victims at risk of violence, according to a research summary released today. Restraining orders, mandatory arrest, and aggressive prosecution policies are increasing, not decreasing partner violence, according to the SAVE report: http://www.saveservices.org/2013/02/the-violence-against-women-act-is-a-deadly-proposition/

Aggressive criminal justice policies are funded by the federal Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) and then implemented according to state laws. The SAVE report reveals:

1. Protection Orders: VAWA funds the enforcement of restraining orders, but they widely believed to be ineffective in curbing abuse. A review of 119 homicide-suicides in North Carolina revealed the issuance of a restraining order was the most common trigger for such tragedies, found in 41% of such incidents.

2. Arrest: VAWA funds mandatory arrest policies in 20 states around the country. Harvard researcher Radha Iyengar found that “intimate partner homicides increased by about 60% in states with mandatory arrest laws.” This translates into over 600 deaths each year.

3. Prosecution: VAWA pays $35 million annually to prosecutors who follow mandatory prosecution policies. But one 48-city study found prosecuting restraining order violations doubles the number of homicides among white wives and increases risk for other groups, as well.

The SAVE report terms the continued taxpayer funding of these harmful policies as “A triumph of ideology over science and common-sense.”

“What kind of crazy law purports to be about stopping abuse, but in truth is escalating tensions and discouraging victims from calling for help?,” asks SAVE spokesperson Sheryle Hutter. “Taxpayers should be demanding a complete overhaul of these irrational domestic violence programs.”

Over 40 leading scientists and organizations have endorsed major reforms to VAWA and state-level domestic violence policies: http://www.saveservices.org/pvra/vawa-reform-principles/. The Violence Against Women Act is currently up for reauthorization in Congress.

Stop Abusive and Violent Environments is a victim-advocacy organization working for evidence-based solutions to domestic violence and sexual assault: www.saveservices.org

Press Release Special Report

Most Abuse Programs Slice and Dice the Truth

Post author By saveadmin
Post date January 18, 2011

Contact: Teri Stoddard, 301-801-0608, tstoddard@saveservices.org

WASHINGTON / January 18, 2011 – The majority of domestic violence education programs supported by the federal government do not provide a truthful depiction of the problem of partner abuse, according to a report released today. The document, “Most DV Educational Programs Lack Accuracy, Balance, and Truthfulness” concludes that nine out of 10 training, education, and public awareness programs fail to meet minimum standards of objectivity.

The report is issued by Stop Abusive and Environments (SAVE), a victim advocacy group working for evidence-based solutions to domestic violence. The full report can viewed here: http://www.saveservices.org/downloads/SAVE-DV-Educational-Programs

The SAVE report highlights a Centers for Disease Control survey that shows teenage girls are more likely than boys to be perpetrators of dating violence. But the Department of Justice inexplicably uses the CDC survey to justify the need to “engage men and youth in preventing crimes of violence against women,” according to the DoJ website.

More worrisome are training programs for judges that downplay the existence of female aggression and short-circuit legal protections. At one New Jersey seminar, judges were instructed, “Your job is not to become concerned about all the constitutional rights of the man that you’re violating as you grant a restraining order.”

“The report documents a long-standing and deeply-entrenched distortion of the truth,” explains Claudia Cornell, Psy.D. SAVE director. “How can we hope to bring an end to partner abuse when most agencies are educating the public with biased and inaccurate information?”

SAVE has established an accreditation program to assure the accuracy of domestic violence training, education, and public awareness (TEPA) activities. More information about the TEPA Accreditation Program can be seen here: http://www.saveservices.org/policymakers/

Christina Hoff-Somers, author of Who Stole Feminism? will be the keynote presenter at a January 27 press conference to explore the documented distortions of abuse education programs. Designed to commemorate the Super Bowl Hoax, the event will take place 12:00 – 1:30pm at the Heritage Foundation, 214 Massachusetts Ave. NE, Washington, DC 20002. Media representatives can register here: tstoddard@saveservices.org .

Each year the federal government spends $76 million for domestic violence training, education, and public awareness programs. Few of these programs adhere to standards to ensure their information is accurate and valid.