Brown Sues Monterey County AIDS Project Over Misuse of Funds
On Monday, California Attorney General Jerry Brown (D) filed a lawsuit against the Monterey County AIDS Project alleging that former group leaders had misused more than $2.8 million intended to assist people with HIV/AIDS, the Salinas Californian reports.
The suit comes six months after MCAP announced its merger with John XXIII HIV/AIDS Services to create a new group known as Central Coast HIV/AIDS Services.
Lawsuit Details
In 1999, Monterey County resident Douglas Madsen willed property to MCAP to provide housing services for patients living with HIV/AIDS.
In 2000, MCAP filed an application to sell the property and use the money to fund housing benefits and programs. The Monterey County Superior Court allowed the sale and called for the creation of a housing endowment (Solana, Salinas Californian, 5/24).
The lawsuit claims that the directors of MCAP used the money from the property sale to pay for salaries, rent for its thrift shop, personal expenses and other general expenditures.
The suit named former MCAP executive directors Wayne Johnson and Kathleen Banks as defendants, along with 14 other employees and board members (Hennessey, Monterey County Herald, 5/25). This is part of the California Healthline Daily Edition, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.