CEO of New York nonprofit accused of lying about veterans displaced from migrant hotels
A New York State Assemblyman asks the state Attorney General to investigate a nonprofit group and its CEO over allegations that the group lied about veterans without shelter displaced from hotels for migrants, according to a local media. THE New York Post initially reported the group’s claims which were later assumed to be a hoax.
New York State Assemblyman Jonathan Jacobson (D-Newburg) called on the state attorney general to investigate the Yerik Israel Tooney Foundation (YIT) and CEO Sharon Toney-Finch, the Mid Hudson News reported.
“The recent arrival of asylum seekers in the town of Newburgh has caused enough disruption without the additional outrage generated by Toney-Finch’s lies,” Jacobson told the local newspaper.
Breitbart News reported on YIT CEO Toney-Finch’s claims in an article published by the New York Post. Toney-Finch said he received a call from a group of veterans displaced from their hotels to make room for migrants being bused into the area from New York.
Toney Foundation, told the New York Post“Our veterans have been moved to another hotel because of what is happening with immigrants.”
Toney-Finch’s claims went viral, with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle expressing outrage that homeless veterans would be kicked out of hotels to make room for migrants.
New York State Republican Congressman Brian Maher told the Job“It’s important to shed some light on this because we need to make sure these hotels know how important it is to respect the service of our veterans before they kick them out of hotels to make room. “
New York Democratic Congressman Pat Ryan, whose 18th congressional district covers New York’s northern suburbs and suburbs, took to social media to condemn the “incompetence” of city officials in moving homeless veterans.
New York Republican Congressman Marc Molinaro also took to social media to denounce the “absolutely inexcusable” treatment of homeless veterans, which he described as “the result of incompetence and a lack of compassion”.
THE Mid Hudson News said that:
Last week, Toney-Finch recruited several homeless men from a shelter in Poughkeepsie and allegedly offered them food and money to pose as YIT-assisted veterans who were evicted from their homes by the newly arrived migrants.
Assemblyman Jacobson told local media that according to reports, Toney-Finch or an associate doctored credit card receipts to make it look like the hotel had accepted payment to house the sponsored veterans by YIT.
In an article earlier on Friday, the Mid Hudson News reported that a graphics expert reviewed a receipt allegedly given to State Assemblyman Maher showing an alleged payment by YIT to the hotel for $37,800 in payment for veteran accommodation. The expert claims that the receipt has been altered and the hotel claims that it has no record of payment with the credit card that was allegedly used to make the payment.
THE Union Times reports that Assemblyman Maher said he was taken for a ride and told the newspaper that Toney-Finch’s claims were false. He said he was “devastated and discouraged” by the news of the alleged hoax.
THE Union Times said the state’s attorney general and the Orange County district attorney’s office are investigating the case.
When Maher pushed Toney-Finch for further proof of the alleged credit card payment, she reportedly told the gathering “Maybe that’s not exactly what I said.”
Maher said he then approached local news outlets to report the matter with the AG’s office.
Toney-Finch allegedly told the Union Times that she denied recruiting homeless people to pose as veterans.
Breitbart contacted the YIT Foundation for comment on the matter. An immediate response was not available.
Bob Price is associate editor and main contributor for the Breitbart Texas-Border team. He is an original member of the Breitbart Texas team. Price is a regular panelist on Fox 26 Houston’s What are you getting at? Sunday morning talk show. Follow him on Twitter @BobPriceBBTX.
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