Through Jamoreelah Mullen
July 24, 2025
A state audit reveals a lack of documentation in support of how funds issued by the State were issued.
An organization in New Orleans that has been established to offer job training and placement, and helps prevent evictions, spent almost half of its state financing to charity to charity bingo games less money generated than they cost, According to the legislative auditor of Louisiana.
According to the audit released on 21 July, experts stated that the National Association for African American Economic Development (Naaeed) received $ 400,000 from the state of Louisiana in the previous year. Records showed that it spent almost half ($ 199,568) on hosting Bingo games, which were intended To generate fundS for his mission, an activity prohibited under its cooperation agreement with the state.
The audit also showed that the organization awarded $ 185,000 to companies and other recipients, but Cannot document How that money was used. The assessment of the auditor also showed that the association spent more than $ 52,000 to rent the building where it held its bingo competitions in the Central City -district near the New Orleans Superdome.
Naaeed -founder, Myron Lee Sr., admitted the organization his budget stretched Too thin.
“We have tried to make up for it as well as possible,” Lee said Louisiana Illuminator. “We have tried to make it work as well as possible, and I think we have become a bit overy.”
Lee said that he was the interest of the community in attending the Bingo games that was intended to raise money for the organization.
“We did not have the visibility that we would normally have had at a different location, which probably could have collected more people to come.”
According to its cooperation agreement with the State, the association is obliged to distribute around $ 680,000 to achieve its goals, including Registering at least 125 people in training programs, Security of vacancies and the provision of deportation prevention services before 30 June 2024. The organization must also regularly submit a quarterly progress and cost report. From 5 March, the association had not submitted any reports that demonstrated that it fulfilled the conditions of the agreement.
The records showed that the NAAED $ 115,000 paid to competent media services, a production company that claimed Lee Make a movie That would “stimulate the local economy” and at the same time offer film -related work training, such as camera, lighting and sound work. Lee told the Louisiana Illuminator That naaeed and competent media produced ‘a series of documentaries’ where students Participated in various product trolls. According to the audit report, NAAAED paid $ 23,000 to a public and public prosecutor and spent $ 50,000 on cameras and set design equipment.
In his written response to the auditor, Lee stated that his organization will hire a certified public accountant to help it comply with the required rules of the state, as well as Improvement of record practices.
“Our administrative assistant will be more involved in guaranteeing timely submission of reports. In accordance with our corrective action plan, we will involve the general counselor to advise us on legal contractual matters/obligations with regard to state contracts. This will ensure that the same mistakes are not made again,” Lee wrote.
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