“Carlos Velásquez engañó a la comunidad latina durante años”, dijo Eric Schneiderman, Fiscal del Estado de Nueva York cuando anunció el desmantelamiento de la junta directiva del Desfile Nacional Puertorriqueño de Nueva York. “Velásquez, presidente de Galos Corporation, se apropió de 1,4 millones de dólares de donaciones al desfile y esos fondos no eran para el enriquecimiento de algunas personas”.
Galos es una organización sin ánimo de lucro que por tres décadas se encargó del mercadeo y de los patrocinadores del Desfile Nacional Puertorriqueño. Velásquez se apropió del dinero y le pasó la cuenta al desfile boricua, que terminó debiéndole un millón de dólares. En el arreglo con la fiscalía, Velásquez debe olvidar esa deuda y pagar 100,000 dólares de compensación. Además, no podrá trabajar más con el Desfile Puertorriqueño, aunque deberá ayudarles este año.
Velásquez podrá seguir trabajando con otros desfiles en Nueva York.
Velásquez puede darse por bien librado porque el Fiscal Schneiderman decidió no acusarlo de cargos criminales. “Evaluamos la situación y esta es la mejor solución para todos y para el futuro de Desfile Puertorriqueño que es una institución vital para la cultura de la ciudad de Nueva York y para la comunidad puertorriqueña mundial”, dijo el Fiscal Schneiderman.
El abogado de Velásquez, Paul Bleifer, envió el siguiente comentario sobre el fallo de la fiscalía estatal: “Debido a las dificultades técnicas de teneduría de libros, GALOS decidió no pasar años litigando el asunto y gastar grandes sumas de dinero en honorarios de abogados, por lo que se acordó con el Fiscal General que GALOS dejaría de recaudar fondos para el Desfile, pero continuaría trabajando con otros desfiles”.
En conferencia de prensa, el Fiscal Schneiderman se negó a comentar si está investigando otros desfiles de la ciudad de Nueva York, pero se rumora que el Desfile Dominicano será el próximo en ser investigado. Velásquez está vinculado a otros desfiles latinos del área, como el dominicano, el colombiano y el hispano de Manhattan, entre otros.
El Fiscal Schneiderman también tiene en la mira a las organizaciones sin ánimo de lucro que no están usando los fondos para apoyar el desarrollo de los latinos y la comunidad en general.
La Presidenta del Desfile Nacional Puertorriqueño, Madelyn Lugo, su esposo y coordinador general del desfile, Luis Rivera, y la tesorera Shirley Cox, renunciaron a sus cargos, al igual que sus dos directores honorarios, Rosalinda Ortega y María Román Dumen.
La nueva junta directiva está integrada por Lorraine Cortes-Vázquez, Anthony Díaz, María Elena Girone, Rosa Gutiérrez, Louis Maldonado, Ululy Rafael Martínez, Carmen Pacheco, Orlando Plaza y Larraine Rodríguez-Reyes.
El compromiso de esta nueva junta directiva y como parte del arreglo con la Fiscalía, es acabar con las trampas, el nepotismo, los conflictos de interés y buscar patrocinadores y organizaciones que puedan realizar el desfile a un mejor costo. El Desfile Puertorriqueño comenzó en 1958.
La organización Diversity Foundation, creada por Velásquez para recaudar fondos y donarlos en becas estudiantiles, también deberá ser desintegrada y cualquier dinero que posean debe ser entregado al gobierno. Su directora ejecutiva, Debra Martínez, y su asesora Karen Pillot, también deben desvincularse del Desfile Puertorriqueño. Diversity Foundation fue cread por Velásquez para obtener fondos como organización sin ánimo de lucro.
En la conferencia de prensa y al lado del Fiscal Schneiderman habían varios activistas y políticos puertorriqueños, como Fernando Ferrer, quien dijo: “Estoy contento porque el Fiscal Schneiderman realizó esta investigación y así podemos tener una nueva generación de líderes con más altos estándares éticos”.
La presidenta del Concejo, Melissa Mark-Viverito, dijo que la investigación de la fiscalía había incluido a mucha gente de la comunidad. “Las organizaciones sin ánimo de lucro deben ser responsables y apoyar la cultura y el orgullo latino”, dijo Viverito.
En la conferencia de prensa también se habló de la “gran cantidad de dinero” que cobran los desfiles para que las organizaciones comunitarias y culturales puedan participar y el Fiscal Schneiderman dijo que la nueva junta del Desfile Puertorriqueño debe corregir esta anomalía.
“Nada impedirá que realicemos el Desfile Puertorriqueño este próximo domingo 8 de junio en la Quinta Avenida de Manhattan. Allí estará nuestra cultura y nuestra música”, concluyó Carmen Pacheco.
Javier Castaño
Ninguno de estos desfiles sirve. Ya estan quemados.
WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW
By Senator Rev. Rubén Díaz
District 32 Bronx County, New York
Tel 718-991-3161
SOMETHING DOESN’T SMELL RIGHT WITH THIS DEAL
You should know that Attorney General Eric Schneiderman called a press conference on Thursday, February 13, 2014 to release his findings after a 9-month investigation about the National Puerto Rican Day Parade. Among the few Puerto Rican elected officials and dignitaries who stood with him were: Former Bronx Borough President Fernando Ferrer, New York City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, and New York State Senators José Marcos Serrano and Gustavo Rivera.
You should know that in his release, Attorney General Eric Schneiderman found that Mr. Carlos Velasquez – who served as both the Marketing Agent for the National Puerto Rican Day Parade and the President of G.A.L.O.S. Corporation (GALOS) – misappropriated one million dollars from the National Puerto Rican Day Parade over a six-year period.
You should also know that Attorney General Eric Schneiderman found that there was NO wrongdoing by the National Puerto Rican Day Parade President Madelyn Lugo, nor any other Member of that Board who were nevertheless forced to resign by the Attorney General.
Over and over, we have heard claims by Attorney General Eric Schneidrman and New York’s elected officials that they want to put an end to corruption and punish people who have violated the law. But somehow, these do-gooders allowed Mr. Carlos Velasquez to get away with stealing 1 million dollars from the National Puerto Rican Day Parade, and the Attorney General is only requesting for him to return a mere fraction of what he stole – one hundred thousand dollars, while allowing him to continue to do business with other organizations in New York.
Where is the indictment? Where is the arrest? Where is the perp walk?
You should know that Mr. Carlos Velasquez and the GALOS Corporation not only do marketing for the National Puerto Rican Day Parade, but for practically every other parade in New York City. These include the Hispanic Day Parade, the Dominican Day Parade – both in the Bronx and in Manhattan – the Honduran Day Parade, and many others.
It seems to me that an Attorney General who is truly interested in ending corruption would not only charge someone who stole one million dollars from one group, but would not allow that perpetrator and criminal to do business with other organizations. A responsible Attorney General who has identified someone who ripped off the National Puerto Rican Day Parade would protect other not-for-profit organizations and other Boards of Directors from being ripped off by that same person.
Why allow Mr. Carlos Velasquez and GALOS Corporation to continue to do business with other not-for-businesses and parades when he already has a record of ripping off his clients?
Isn’t the job of the Attorney General to protect all parades and all organizations from this identified criminal? Why allow him to continue to do business as if nothing like this had ever happened?
It seems to me that an Attorney General who is concerned with protecting groups from criminals would investigate every other parade and group that Mr. Carlos Velasquez has done business with and find out if any of them have been going through the same problems that the National Puerto Rican Day Parade has suffered.
I believe that it is important to identify and end corruption, and do whatever it takes to protect the community. But it looks like the wheeling and dealing of the Puerto Rican Day Parade has been done just so a handful of elected officials could take over the Parade and place their lackies in charge.
You should also know that the National Puerto Rican Day Parade Board has not been the only group that has been taken for a ride by a trusted individual. Among these other groups is the Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty, whose former CEO William Rapfogel was arrested and indicted by Attorney General Eric Schneiderman for embezzling 5 million dollars – a lot more money than was embezzled from the National Puerto Rican Day Parade.
I don’t know if the Attorney General used the same rulebook and system of justice to force Members of that Board to resign, as he did with Board Members of the National Puerto Rican Day Parade. I don’t know if the Attorney General has ever demanded for other not-for-profit Board Members to resign when one person has done wrong – or are his current standards exclusive for the National Puerto Rican Day Parade?
It seems to me that if other Boards Members from other organizations have not been forced to resign, and only the Board Members of the National Puerto Rican Day Parade are being forced to resign, then a great injustice has taken place.
Even though I could be accused of playing the race card here, I am forced to ask: What’s going on here? Mr. Carlos Velasquez has not been arrested, indicted, and prevented from dong business with other not-for-profits in the city. Mr. Velasquez is the one who has been accused of embezzlement and fraud – not Madelyn Lugo – and why is it that Madelyn Lugo is receiving a bigger punishment than the thief who actually stole the money?
You should know that not even one of the Puerto Rican elected officials who stood with Attorney General Eric Schneiderman has the guts to question him and ask him when and if Board Members from other groups have been forced to resign because of the wrongdoings of one person.
Why are these elected officials who stood with Attorney General Eric Schneiderman and are supporting the ousting of Madelyn Lugo – allowing for Carlos Velasquez to go free as if nothing has happened? And why are these elected officials being allowed to appoint their friends and lackies to the Board?
My dear reader, I have been told that even the Attorney General Eric Schneiderman himself is appointing one member of his own staff to the Board of the Puerto Rican Day Parade. Wow! What a coup! Not even the Four Amigos could have pulled this one off.
I would love to see Fernando Ferrer, along with Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, and Senators José Marcos Serrano and Gustavo Rivera hold a press conference demanding the arrest of Mr. Carlos Velasquez.
Something is wrong with this deal. Something doesn’t smell right with this deal. In fact, this whole thing stinks. Why were our public officials standing with Attorney General Eric Schneiderman while not even holding Carlos Velasquez criminally responsible for profiting from the Parade like a criminal? Are they just satisfied to take over the Parade? Was this their ultimate goal?
Ladies and gentlemen, this deal punishes a woman, the President of the Puerto Rican Day Parade and not the criminal, not the perpetrator, not the one who stole one million dollars. No one has had the courage or the decency to protect the President Madelyn Lugo. Is that justice?
I am Senator Reverend Rubén Díaz, and this is what you should know.
Saludos:
El Desfile Puertorriqueño de Nueva York este año se le dedica a nuestro pueblo de Guánica. Alrededor de 200 residentes de Guánica unidos en diferentes grupos hemos estado haciendo arreglos para estar allí. En el grupo que yo estoy somos 14 personas y ya tenemos las reservaciones de vuelo saliendo el 4 de junio y regresando el 11 de junio, mas habitaciones en un hotel de Manhattan.
Estamos confiados que el desfile va.
Gracias,
Félix J. Muñoz
Carlos Velasquez tiene comprado a los politicos y por eso no fue a la carcel!