Gov. Pat Quinn’s scandal-plagued anti-violence initiative directed thousands of dollars to a program for ex-offenders that never existed.
The Chicago Sun-Times reports that Project Hope received nearly 16-thousand state dollars through the 2010 Neighborhood Recovery Initiative. The newspaper cites state records that show it took three months for state officials to notice the scheme.
Quinn’s program is already under federal and Cook County probes. It’s also been the subject of legislative hearings where former state officials have been subpoenaed to testify. A state audit earlier this year outlined “pervasive” problems with mismanagement and misspending.