Acorn 'phone-y': Probers eye 500G ed.-bill rip-off

The New York Post ^ | 12/2/09 | LIZ SADLER and YOAV GONEN

[winstonwolf33]

A former education organizer at the scandal-scarred activist group ACORN fraudulently used Department of Education phone-bill accounts to cash in on more than $500,000 in lavish Verizon customer rewards, city investigators charged yesterday.

Donnett Davis, 31, of Brooklyn, allegedly obtained spa retreats, Yankees and Mets tickets, $5,000 IBM gift certificates and gobs of other garish goodies from Verizon by registering 9,000 DOE telephone billing codes under an ACORN account in her name, probers said.

Usage on those lines between February 2004 and August 2008 was then counted toward her Verizon small-business rewards program, through which Davis was able to redeem the bonanza of bonus points for five-figure dining, travel and shopping gift cards, investigators charged.

"When you have 9,000 lines, those points add up," said Special Commissioner of Investigation Richard Condon, who referred his findings to the offices of the US attorney and Brooklyn district attorney.

Condon, who began the probe after Davis had left ACORN to become a parent coordinator at the ACORN HS for Social Justice in Brooklyn last year, said he didn't know how she had accessed the DOE billing codes.

A woman who answered the door at Davis' Brooklyn address yesterday said Davis was out of town.

"I spoke to her mom. Her mom is very upset. She said 'No comment,' " said the woman, who identified herself only as a relative.

According to Condon's report, Davis told investigators she had enrolled ACORN in the rewards program and that she shared the gift certificates with fellow staffers and people who signed up as ACORN members.

[winstonwolf33]

"I am sooooo gonna get fired!"

[Psycho_Bunny]

Where’s Holder?

[Huskrrrr]

[Traveler59]

Redistribution of wealth. Socialism at its finest.

- Traveler

[DannyTN]

Who is her accomplish that gave her the numbers?

They should charge her with theft of federal property.