An audit of the Buffalo Urban League shows that Erie County taxpayers were overcharged thousands of dollars. A top official with the Urban League is disputing the findings.
County Comptroller Stefan Mychajliw says, in one instance, three Urban League supervisors billed taxpayers for 480 hours of work in an eight-hour day.
"I cannot stress enough that at the very best this is gross mismanagement, and at its worst it's downright fraud of Erie County taxpayers," Mychajliw said at a news conference Thursday.
According to Mychajliw, confidential personal records were also not protected as required by law. The comptroller's office was tipped off by seven Urban League employees who are no longer working for the organization.
In response, Urban League President Brenda McDuffie called the audit "inaccurate, unfair and biased."
McDuffie says it can take the county nearly a year to pay for services. When a billing issue came up recently, she says the money was sent back immediately.
"We were paying back money that we had not received yet for services rendered," McDuffie said.
"You have to understand the system before you inappropriately make comments the way the Comptroller has chosen to do."
Investigative Post, WBFO's journalistic partner, disclosed the controversy involving the Urban League. Read an article written by Charlotte Keith.
