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Obama Fundraiser Confesses To Misusing $600k in Federal Grants for Poor Youth

Howard Slingerland raised nearly $750,000 for Obama from 2007 to 2012

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A top fundraiser for former president Barack Obama confessed to misusing more than $600,000 in federal grant money and embezzling tens of thousands of dollars from a nonprofit dedicated to helping impoverished youth, the Justice Department announced Tuesday.
Howard Dixon Slingerland, who raised nearly $750,000 for both of Obama’s presidential campaigns, illegally took federal grant money to pay off more than $600,000 of his organization’s payroll and credit card debts, which included personal expenses. The $1.5 million grant was meant to provide career advancement for young adults who had been through the criminal justice system, court filings show.
Slingerland also admitted to underreporting around $450,000 in income and owing nearly $150,000 in back taxes. He also admitted to embezzling tens of thousands of dollars from his nonprofit to pay his property taxes and fund personal tutors for his children and an expensive dinner at a Michelin-starred restaurant.
Slingerland pleaded guilty to one count of misapplication of funds and one count of lying on his tax returns. He faces a maximum sentence of 13 years in federal prison.
The disgraced nonprofit leader is no stranger to abuse of funds charges. In 2014, Slingerland’s nonprofit, the Youth Policy Institute, failed to disclose $140,000 it spent lobbying Obama’s White House and feder …

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