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The top of 1 of the largest operators of homeless shelters in Ny city was fired on Monday as Bronx prosecutors opened a prison investigation into allegations of a long pattern of sexual abuse and economic misconduct that experienced long gone largely unchecked by his organization and town.
The chief, Victor Rivera, experienced assisted discovered the Bronx Mum or dad Housing Community, and over twenty years experienced overseen its development into A serious company of housing and solutions while the town’s homeless population climbed to document quantities.
The investigation and dismissal of Mr. Rivera adopted an investigation from the New York Instances, which located that ten Women of all ages, such as homeless Gals keeping in his Corporation’s shelters, experienced accused him of sexual assault and harassment. Two of All those women said Mr. Rivera experienced coerced them into carrying out oral sex. Mr. Rivera also used his nonprofit, the Bronx Parent Housing Network, to counterpoint himself and his family, The Instances located.
Hrs following the Tale was revealed, Mayor Monthly bill de Blasio requested a sweeping audit of the city’s $2 billion homeless shelter Procedure. The Bronx Mother or father Housing Community is among about 70 groups that run shelters for town.
In a statement launched on Monday, the board of administrators on the Bronx Dad or mum Housing Network mentioned it experienced fired Mr. Rivera, sixty, and condemned what it referred to as his “abhorrent and abusive perform.” In reaction towards the Occasions’s results, the city had by now directed the nonprofit to rent an attorney to review Mr. Rivera’s actions, plus the team said it supported the Gals who had occur ahead.
“B.P.H.N. recognizes how tough this must be and is particularly committed to function a resource for his or her therapeutic, not an impediment,” the board explained in the assertion.
Mr. Rivera has vehemently denied any wrongdoing, and in a previous statement said he experienced usually taken care of women with regard. He called the allegations “unfair, baseless and without having merit.”
A spokeswoman with the office in the Bronx district attorney, Darcel D. Clark, mentioned prosecutors were investigating the allegations while in the Moments’s Tale but did not specify if they would study the accusations of sexual abuse or fiscal improprieties, which included Mr. Rivera steering contracts to his associates and entangling his nonprofit with for-earnings ventures he ran.
“We are investigating wherever the proof leads,” the spokeswoman, Patrice O’Shaughnessy, stated.
Tim Gilbert, a spokesman with the Bronx Parent Housing Community, declined to reply precise questions on why the board had not acted sooner when accusations mounted towards Mr. Rivera.
“We've been wanting into these problems and can't explore the details in the meanwhile,” Mr. Gilbert explained.
Mr. Rivera’s procedure of women had been greatly talked about inside the Bronx Dad or mum Housing Network in recent years, previous personnel instructed The Instances.
The Corporation compensated a put together $175,000 in confidential settlements in 2017 and 2019 to 2 former workforce who accused Mr. Rivera of sexual harassment and assault, information confirmed. One of them had informed the Big apple law enforcement that Mr. Rivera slapped her and compelled her to carry out oral sexual intercourse inside of a shelter wherever she labored.
A homeless lady also complained to your Big apple Division of Social Solutions, which oversees shelter operators, about remaining sexually harassed by Mr. Rivera in 2017. But the city referred her grievance back again for the Bronx Father or mother Housing Network, which decided it was unfounded. In addition to a former worker sent a companywide e mail in 2018, alluding to Mr. Rivera’s abusive conduct and claimed he was quitting due to the fact like a father of a younger Woman, he would “be devastated to realize that she could be preyed upon by a predator which includes leverage in excess of her.”
Mr. Rivera Established the Bronx Dad or mum Housing Community in 2000 with Others from his church. Since just 2017, his Corporation has been given $274 million in city funding to operate Nearly 70 websites of homeless housing.
But as town funding came in, Mr. Rivera’s particular fortunes also grew. He enmeshed his for-profit housing businesses While using the funds of his nonprofit, steered worthwhile contracts to mates and associates, and presented Work to numerous customers of his relatives, The Occasions located.
A whistle-blower instructed town Division of Social Expert services about Mr. Rivera’s nepotism and conflicts of fascination in 2017, and the town put the team on the Unique look at record. But Mr. Rivera continued to discover methods to profit himself and his associates, The Occasions located.
The nonprofit’s board For some time was full of pals and associates of Mr. Rivera, The Instances found. In the preceding assertion, a lawyer for the Bronx Mum or dad Housing Community said the many board users with prospective conflicts had resigned. Within the Business’s early days, the law firm said, Mr. Rivera had relied on his individual contacts to develop his operation.
The Bronx Mother or father Housing Community board on Monday named Ululy Rafael Martinez, a lawyer, as its new president.
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