Crime
AC Transit CFO Charged With Embezzling from Allen Temple
By Leonardo Blair , Christian Post
Lewis G. Clinton Jr., the CFO of Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District, was arrested and charged with embezzling more than $500,000 from his own church, the powerful and prestigious Allen Temple Baptist Church in Oakland-
The revelation has shocked both his church and professional family who learned that he bilked money meant for the poor to pay personal expenses, including golf club memberships, a luxury car, his mortgage and private school for his children, according to press reports.
“Extreme surprise,” said AC Transit’s board president Greg Harper. “Never has there been any thought from any board member or any staff member that he might not be completely ethical.”
While most church officials declined to speak with the media because they could be called as witnesses, the Rev. Daniel Buford, who heads the church’s social justice ministry, said he was shocked by the news.
The scandal-rocked CFO “was a good person and a leader” at Allen Baptist he explained. “I’m just sorry for him and his family.”
Prosecutors say Clinton, who has been CFO at AC Transit since 2008, allegedly diverted more than $500,000 from three nonprofit organizations run by his church to his own company, Eagle Asset Management, between April 2007 and February 2013. The nonprofits were formed by the church to provide housing and deliver services to low and moderate-income families in the Oakland community.
The embezzlement wasn’t discovered until March 2013. Irregularities, however, were noticed in December 2012 by a bookkeeper, but Clinton allegedly reassured a church official that nothing inappropriate was happening.
Clinton is charged with four counts of grand theft and now faces up-to five years in prison if convicted. AC Transit has placed him on administrative leave, but he will continue to receive his $225,000 annual salary while the charges are being investigated.
Alameda County
DA Pamela Price Stands by Mom Who Lost Son to Gun Violence in Oakland
Last week, The Post published a photo showing Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones, whose son, Patrick DeMarco Scott, was gunned down by an unknown assailant in 2018.
Publisher’s note: Last week, The Post published a photo showing Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones, whose son, Patrick DeMarco Scott, was gunned down by an unknown assailant in 2018. The photo was too small for readers to see where the women were and what they were doing. Here we show Price and Jones as they complete a walk in memory of Scott. For more information and to contribute, please contact Carol Jones at 510-978-5517 at morefoundation.help@gmail.com. Courtesy photo.
California Black Media
Anti-Theft Bill with Jail-Time Requirement Gets Wide Ranging Support
Fed up with the alarming frequency of retail theft across California, including smash and grabs, a diverse group of business leaders, law enforcement officials, policymakers and public safety advocates joined their efforts in Sacramento on Jan. 24. Their purpose: to increase public support for Assembly Bill (AB) 1772, a bill that would make jail time mandatory for repeat theft offenders.
By California Black Media
Fed up with the alarming frequency of retail theft across California, including smash and grabs, a diverse group of business leaders, law enforcement officials, policymakers and public safety advocates joined their efforts in Sacramento on Jan. 24.
Their purpose: to increase public support for Assembly Bill (AB) 1772, a bill that would make jail time mandatory for repeat theft offenders.
Co-authored by Assemblymembers James C. Ramos (D-San Bernardino), Avelino Valencia (D-Anaheim) and Devon Mathis (R-Tulare), AB 1772 would require jail time “of one to three years for theft crimes depending upon the circumstances.
“Offenses would include grand theft, theft from an elder or dependent adult, theft or unauthorized use of a vehicle, burglary, carjacking, robbery, receiving stolen property, shoplifting or mail theft,” the bill language reads.
Ramos said the need to act is urgent.
“It’s time for us to reverse the spikes in theft crimes since the pandemic. Our law enforcement members and district attorneys need additional tools such as AB 1772. We must reverse the trend before the problem grows worse. Last year I requested a state audit of the impact of Prop 47 on Riverside and San Bernardino counties,” said Ramos.
Prop 47 is the California initiative, approved by voters in 2014, that reclassified some felonies to misdemeanors and raised the minimum amount for most misdemeanor thefts from $400 to $950.
According to a Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) report, the rate of occurrence of petty crimes like shoplifting and commercial burglaries have increased by double digits over the last four years.
In Orange County alone, commercial burglaries have spiked by 54%.
“Our communities are experiencing an increase in retail crime and deserve appropriate action from their legislators,” Valencia said.
San Bernardino County Sheriff Shannon Dicus thanked Ramos.
“This bill, designed to impose stricter penalties on serial retail theft suspects, responds urgently to the escalating consequences of shoplifting and related crimes on our communities,” he said.
AB 1772 supporters who spoke at the gathering included Sacramento Sheriff Jim Cooper and San Bernardino Chief of Police Darren Goodman. Listed as supporters are the California State Sheriff’s Association, City of Riverside Police Chief Larry Gonzalez and Redlands Chamber of Commerce.
Activism
Oakland Post: Week of April 17 – 23, 2024
The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of April 17 – 23, 2024
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