New York City Suspends Funding to Met Council Amid William Rapfogel Scandal

Scandal Tremors: William Rapfogel?s resignation under a cloud of scandal is already having repercussions for the Met Council on Jewish Poverty that he headed. Image by met council

By JTA August 16, 2013

New York has reportedly suspended all funding to the Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty following the firing of its longtime CEO, William Rapfogel, over alleged financial misdeeds.

“All pending awards have been put on hold until an investigation by the New York Department of Investigation is completed,” said mayoral spokesman Kamran Mumtaz, according to a report in The New York Post.

Unnamed sources quoted in the Post report says the move is holding up millions of dollars in payments from pending city contracts. The bulk of the organization’s revenue comes from federal, state and city funding. William Rapfogel allegedly inflated insurance bills and pocketed the overcharges for himself.

The Met Council removed Rapfogel, 58, from his positions following an internal probe discovered “financial irregularities and apparent misconduct in connection with the organization’s insurance policies,” the organization said Monday. The social service agency, which provides employment services, crisis intervention, emergency food and other programs for poor Jewish households, said in a statement it would “work diligently to appoint a replacement as quickly as possible.”

On the same day, Rapfogel in a statement through his lawyers said, “I deeply regret the mistakes I have made that led to my departure from the organization.”

Rapfogel’s lawyer reportedly said that Rapfogel’s wife, Judy, and her boss, New York State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, were unaware of the scheme.

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