Director of Parks and Recreation Takes From The Boxing Fund To Pay Off Dirty Favors

Manuel Carrillo aka Manuel Carrillo Jr.
Baldwin Park's Director of Parks and Recreation
Estimated current pay: over $300,000 a year.

The boxers are alleging that the Director of Parks and Recreation is cooking the books.  What does that mean?  Ever hear the saying, "It's like taking candy from a baby."  In his case, it's better to say, "It's like taking money from the kids."

In the last Council meeting, I tried to spout out the facts and figures.  I know it was hard to follow; so, I've simplified it for my readers here. Here's what I learned through this discovery: corruption has become a much more sophisticated game.  In this post, I will show you how corruption harms children and it's sophistication.  I'll lead your thoughts, so, as you see the different documents presented, you can follow along.

What I'm going to do is show you how 1) the director took from the boxing budget, 2) channeled to money to other accounts, and 3) did so to pay back dirty favors.  The key in understanding how all this is done is that the boxing budget is all mixed up with the dirty accounts.

cor·rupt: adjective

1. guilty of dishonest practices, as bribery; lacking integrity; crooked: a corrupt judge.

Pay attention to the word: "bribery."  Also realize, corruption is the exact opposite of justice.  Justice requires that a society, authorized by the government, makes decisions that are in the best interest of the entire public.  Corruption, in contrast, works by favoring a small group at the harm of the people.  In this case, you will see how local municipal corruption harms the public.  In this case, our youth.

Here's an anecdote.  As a young and spiffy law student, I remember my constitutional law professor saying to the class: "Perhaps one of you will become a federal prosecutor.  When you do, you'll see how difficult it'll be to prove bribery."  I didn't become a federal prosecutor, but he was right: proving bribery is almost impossible.  But as the Scriptures say, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
  

Point 1: The Boxing Budget Was Misappropriated to Fund Other Budgets.

The boxing budget was misappropriated to fund other budgets.  In other words, the Director, the Mayor, the Mayor Pro Tem, and the Council Members took from the boxing budget.  In other words, they stole from the kids to return dirty favors.

To start with, we need to know how much was appropriated and used in the boxing budget.  For the year, the boxing budget was $23,000 per year.

Then, we know that on average there are 42 to 68 boxers who participate.  They pay on average $15 a month.  This turns out to be $7,560 to $12,240 a year.  This extra cash needs to be added to the appropriated budget.  Thus, $23,000 + $7,560 (or $12,240) = $30,560-$35,870 a year.

The cost of running the program is 3 coaches at $11 an hour (although the City only pays the coaches an average cost of $8.11 per hour, I'm going to calculate a 33% overcharge).  Then we need to calculate how many hours are available for 3 coaches for the entire year.  $30,560 ÷ $33 per hours = 926 hours.  We divide the hours by the number of weeks in a year, which is 52 to get the number of hours per week available.

That's 926 hours ÷ 52 weeks per hour = 17.8 hours.  That's 18 hours per week per coach.

What all this means is that we have enough to run Monday through Wednesday and 3 hours for a Thursday.  Therefore, the boxing budget is appropriated to run Monday through Thursday.  And when, we take the larger sum of $35,870 per year, we may have enough for Monday through Friday.

In actuality, because the assistant coach didn't work many hours, and the City never replaced a coach, we've only had 1.5 coaches for the year.   That costs $12,870.  When we subtract this amount from $30,560 or $35,870, you see the City didn't spend $23,000.

Money is like water.  It doesn't just disappear.  It flows.  So where did the $23,000 go?  The Director is either incompetent or engaging in fraud.  There was plenty of money for Monday through Thursday.  So for him to not have done the calculations shows him as incompetent; therefore, he shouldn't be a director making $180,000 a year.  If he's engaging in fraud, then he should go to jail.  I think it's the latter and here's why.

Point 2: The Money From The Boxing Budget Is Being Taken To Pay Off Dirty Bribes.

The first thing the reader needs to know is that the boxing budget has been mixed in with an account called, "Boxing, Community Center Operations, Events, and Rentals."  The top line of the document below states the account, but who in their right mind makes up this wacky account name?  The first question you should ask is: What the hell is all of this stuff?

A poorly scanned document reveal that there are three suspicious items: 1) Consultant Services, 2) Miscellaneous Benefits, and 3) City Fleet.  Let's focus on 3) City Fleet.  The boxing budget is mixed in with the vehicle budget of the City.  Who in their right mind mixes the boxing budget with the vehicle budget?  Boxing is part of the recreation budget.  City vehicles is part of the Public Works budget.  Vijay Singhal, City Manager, gave the Parks and Recreations Director the City Fleet budget to confuse auditors or the public.  When it's hidden under the Parks and Recreation account, it's easier to evade review because the Parks and Recreation also has a separate banking account.  Therefore, by mixing in Fleet with Boxing, it's hard to trace the money.  Furthermore, no one's explained to me what miscellaneous benefits or consulting services actually are?  Have you realized once again - either the Director is incompetent in accounting or something is going on?  Let's go with the latter point again.

Point 3: The City Fleet Budget has had real problems, and it needs to take from other accounts to survive.  

The City Fleet budget has been emptied out and gone into the red before.

Did you notice that?  The document above states sufficient funds are no longer available in the fleet budget.  That this City Fleet fund is drained.  Therefore, it needs money from other accounts.  But why is it drained?

Point 4: The City Fund Is Drained Because It's Paying Off Dirty Bribes.

There are a number of political contributors that are part of the City Fleet Budget.  Let's take a look at the Big Sugar Daddy, Royal Coaches, a towing company.  Royal Coaches, every year gives money to every Council Member and the Mayor.  Now, money doesn't come for free.  Royal Coaches needs to profit.  It does so in a number of way.  The first way was that the Council illegally extended their contract in 2008 without going out to bid against state and city law.  It attempted this month to extend their contract again, even though it's contract doesn't end until 2014.  The second way is that it pulls over cars of the undocumented and impounds the cars for 30 days, the towing fees outstrip the value of the car, the owner can't pay, thus Royal Coaches sell them at police auctions, and the city and Royal Coaches profit.  (For this reason, Royal Coaches is being investigated currently).  The third way is that Royal Coaches charges out at exorbitant fees.  Take a look at the next document, in which Royal Coaches charges out $750 for 10 miles.

Who pays $750 for a ten mile tow?!  Even if it's 20 miles for the back and forth charge, it's still unreasonable in its amount.  This is the distance from Monterey Park to Baldwin Park.  And why did they charge back to the City for towing a Ford Fiesta?

Here are other examples of corruption.  Take a look at how the City purchased an armored vehicle for nearly a quarter of a million dollars, $250,000, when it doesn't need it.  If a riot ever happened, it's likely the National Guard comes in.  Furthermore, this is highly unusual for a City of 78,000 to be purchasing this type of vehicle.  Someone internally probably got money back for this deal.

Another example is how the City purchased tires in one month for $7,500!  I'll scan the document later, since I'm having problems with the scanner.  But who purchases tires for $7,500?

Here's something else.  The City, on this account, purchased 9,500 gallons of gasoline.  Now that's not all going to the City.  It's going to personal use for the City Manager, who lives in Hisperia and other people in the management team who drive all over California - for example from Baldwin Park to Dana Point.

It's not clear, exactly what portion of that $20,000 of the boxing budget (because of the cut day) went to gasoline, or Royal Coaches, or tire accounts, or other vendors who supported our politicians.  What is clear is that all the sports programs were cut 25%, but aquatics and the Royal Coaches budget doesn't seem to have been cut.  

Told you: corruption has become more sophisticated.  Bribes appear to be real services now.  Rose is a rose is a rose is a rose.

Conclusion: Corruption Favors the Few At the Harm of the Many

Now, you see how Director Carrillo has misappropriated $20,000 from the boxing budget and placed it in favored budgets.  Why else would anyone mix in the boxing account with the City Fleet account?  Few are favored.  Many are harmed.  Take for instance, how Royal Coaches got caught for giving Council Member Marlen Garcia's daughter a notebook computer.  Now, was that notebook stolen goods from a car that was confiscated?  Why is it acceptable to steal a computer from an undocumented person to take it and give to a Council Member's daughter?  Why?  Because they'll repay the favor back, in what seems like legitimate ways, like invoices and records.  But really, it's all just made up needs.  What's really sad is that in this case, it's not just the public that's harmed; it's our youth that are harmed and their boxing program and their beloved coaches are hurt.  

The most upsetting thing about all of this, is that the Director and Council Member Marlen Garcia said there was no money in the budget.  No; we have the money.  He just didn't want to spend it because they need it to go back to pay out their dirty favors.

I only have one last question remaining for you and me.  How does the Council Members, Mayor Pro Tem, and Mayor sponsor this type of behavior?  I mean, in doing so, aren't they aiding and abetting criminal behavior as well?  Coach Casas asked the Council Members to put on the agenda a vote to test the fitness of the Director.  Why are they stalling?  What do they have to hide?

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