D.C. Attorney General Takes Action To Freeze Casa Ruby’s Accounts

Karl Racine, the legal professional general for Washington, D.C., announced Monday his workplace went to court in the district to freeze the bank accounts of the not long ago shuttered LGBTQ+ shelter Casa Ruby, accusing its now lacking founder and previous executive director of “misusing” tens of countless numbers of dollars—and perhaps extra.

In an crisis motion submitted Monday in Outstanding Courtroom, the A.G. revealed social media posts point out that missing woman, Ruby Corado, has fled the U.S. and is now in El Salvador. Corado is a transgender Latina who final week verified to a Telemundo reporter which is where she is now, according to the Washington Submit, adding that she “had finished nothing at all wrong.”

Racine’s business office disagreed in its court docket filing Monday: “The District is nonetheless investigating the complete extent of the misuse below, but understands that sizeable nonprofit cash have been utilized for Corado to travel to, dwell in, and try to eat in El Salvador, as very well as to pay back costs on a credit history card she controlled that had been under no circumstances reviewed or accredited by the organization’s Board.” Even though a full determine wasn’t calculated, Corado allegedly misused at minimum $60K of Casa Ruby cash for her travels to El Salvador and residing fees there.

“She continued to make withdrawals, indication checks, and direct the payment of cash, even just after Casa Ruby ceased operations” last month, in accordance to courtroom data.

A spokesperson for the District’s prosecutors states the emergency movement accuses the business of violating the Nonprofit Organizations Act. The motion seeks the instant freezing of all economical accounts, together with PayPal.

“Casa Ruby’s functions recommend clear designs of gross mismanagement and bad oversight of its applications and funds,” said Racine in a statement. “Instead of satisfying its critical mission of giving transitional housing and help to LGBTQ+ youth, Casa Ruby diverted hundreds of countless numbers of pounds in District grants and charitable donations from their intended function. Their executive director seems to have fled the state, withdrawn at minimum tens of hundreds of dollars of nonprofit cash, and has failed to fork out personnel and sellers money they are rightfully owed. Upon listening to of the suspicious situation encompassing its collapse, our place of work instantly started investigating and is utilizing our broad authority above District nonprofits to safeguard the organization’s property and hold its management accountable.”

For a ten years, Casa Ruby served a critical need to have in the District of Columbia—providing transitional housing and associated support to LGBTQ+ youth—using charitable donations from the general public and grants from the District govt. The grants Corado approved from 2016 to the present working day totaled a lot more than $9.6 million, in accordance to District officers.

“Since May possibly 2022 some personnel have not been compensated. As of July 17, 2022, all of Casa Ruby’s courses have ended, and all its shelters have shuttered. This has left substantial quantities of private and private information and facts potentially deserted or accessible by people unknown—information this sort of as remedy records, reviews of domestic violence, and information of treatment plans sought,” according to the courtroom information.

But Corado isn’t the only one particular in difficulties with the legal professional common.

“The nonprofit’s board ceded entire operational and money control of the group and failed to apply any oversight to Government Director Ruby Corado, who to day maintains sole control around Casa Ruby’s lender accounts,” the movement claims. All of the board customers have resigned in excess of the past several months.

On July 21, number of days soon after I described on Casa Ruby’s closing, a former employee, Aiyi’nah Ford, posted a Facebook movie about her activities there, her concerns for the purchasers who have been turned out and have no entry to the packages she the moment aided direct, and about Corado. “I have survivor’s regret, about the truth I aided construct this monster,” Ford explained in the movie. She explained how Corado hired her as Casa Ruby’s third worker, paying out her $10/hour to direct programs. After leaving Casa Ruby, she reported she learned what Corado started off as an LGBTQ+ Center was now becoming turned into a shelter, with grant money. “I was like, wherever? There is not ample area in in this article!” Ford explained 1 area as giving younger persons folding card tables to use as beds. “This is what she was performing with your dollars,” she stated.

Check out Aiyi’nah Ford’s full movie by clicking in this article.