Who Made The Decision To Spend The Money On Mafolie?
Mafolie documents raise questions about process, intent and communication regarding Act 6917 funds
Sen. Carlton "Ital" Dowe
If you want to understand the game you’ve got to focus on the players.
The central issue in the Mafolie matter is whether the Legislature intended that funds from Act 6917 could be used to renovate Governor John P. deJongh’s private Estate Mafolie home. It is from that issue that all the other issues, including conflict, collusion and fraud, emerge.
Sometime between March, 2007, when the 27th Legislature authorized the road repair funds in Act 6917 and April 16 of that year, someone made that determination, and we’re trying to discover who that was. That determination has resulted in $490,000 in public funds being spent on the Governor’s private property. The exact language from Act 6917 is that the reprogrammed funds were to be used for “engineering designs, construction, repairs and resurfacing of roads.”
Let us return to the documents we have access to.
April 16 – Director of Finance and Administration Julito Francis sends a letter on Virgin Islands Public Finance Authority (PFA) letterhead to Property and Procurement (P and P) Commissioner Lynn Millin. The first page of this letter is dated April 16; the second page is dated April 30.* It is in this letter, that the use of funds from Act 6917 is specified to include the “Security Booth and Road Improvements at the Governor’s residence – STT.” The only senator copied on this letter is Sen. Carlton “Ital” Dowe.
April 25 – Then Commissioner Designee Darryl Smalls, Department of Public Works, sent a letter to Francis asking him (Francis) to send a letter to Millin informing her that the funds from Act 6917 “ are to be used for” several projects, including “Security Booth and Road Improvements at the Governor’s residence – STT.” The only senator copied on this letter is Sen. Carlton “Ital” Dowe.
May 17, 2007 - Smalls wrote to Debra Gottlieb, then Acting Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). In this letter, he requested the release of funds from Acts 6868 and 6917 for five projects, including the $1.305 million for “engineering designs, construction, repairs or resurfacing of roads.”(attached p. 2 dpw/omb below)
May 30, 2007 – Gottlieb, now Director Designate of OMB, sent a memo to Smalls releasing the $1.305 million from Act 6917, again, for the “engineering designs, construction, repairs and resurfacing of roads.” (attached p. 1 dpw/omb below)
Who told Francis that those funds were to be used for security enhancements at the Governor’s home? Why was Dowe copied on his April 16 letter? Why did Smalls copy Dowe on his April 25 memo to Francis? Did Dowe have information from other members of the 27th Legislature that they intended these funds be used for Mafolie? Some have stated publicly that they did not.
Why didn’t Gottlieb question the use of funds for something other than what was outlined in the amendment language? It is our understanding once money is appropriated for a specific purpose, that can only be changed through additional legislation. In her position as OMB Director, was Gottlieb unaware of this?
It is also important to note that before funds appropriated by the Legislature can be legally expended, those funds must be ratified by the PFA. The 6917 funds, appropriated in March, 2007, were not ratified until a meeting in October, 2009.
Gov. deJongh is the Chairman, Angel Dawson is the Executive Director and Gottlieb is the secretary of the PFA. Dawson, and Gottlieb both testified at a recent Legislative hearing that the 30-month delay in ratifying these funds was an “oversight”. How did the deJongh, Dawson and Gottlieb all overlook the fact that these funds had not been ratified?
The US Inspector General has issued a report finding that the use of these funds at Mafolie was unauthorized. The Governor has until February 16 to respond to the IG’s report.
(*Editors note: You will note there are two different attachments of the same letter from Francis to Millin. One of them is dated April 16 on the front page and April 30 on page 2. (Attachment titled April 16 letter). A second, nearly identical letter is also attached, where the date on both pages is April 30. (April 25 Smalls/April 30 Francis). We can’t explain the discrepancy – we are simply pointing it out.)
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DOWE DID NOT GET INTERVIEWED BECAUSE HE IS A FEDERAL TARGET OF AN ONGOING INVESTIGATION. HE ALREADY GOT HIS LETTER FROM THE FEDS.WHEN THE TRUTH IS REVEALED YOU WILL SEE WHO WILL BE WEARING THE ORANGE JUMPSUIT,THEN YOU WILL SEE WHO HAS THE LAST LAUGH.
Ah, I see you also know about Senator Dowe’s misfortune. Shhhhhh….Let’s keep this one quite for now. There’s a lot more to come. Trust!
Hey, that’s not fair: reveal some more.
Those 3 post came right after each other. Foncie, is that you talking to yourself again like you used to do back in Pearson Garden?
@ Anonymous on February 9, 2010 at 1:32 am
You can exclude my postings from your assertion as to “Foncie.”
You may differently include my postings in support of either Mapp or Donastorg for Governor, and better yet a combination of the two as a team.
The possibility of that team strikes pure terror in your heart, doesn’t it?
Foncie has Dejongh’s panties in a bunch. LOL!
Dejongh camp beleives everyone on this site is Donastorg. Keep beleiving that all the way to election day. I hope the Hospital hires extra hands because many of DeWolf supporters will need medical help.
All of them will suffer from heart attacks!!!!!!
OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! t Hat’s COLD. i WAS THINKING PSYCHIATRIC HELP INCLUDING BRONCO.
Ha!ha!
Foncie, what time do you devote to your duty as a senator? And you wonder why your colleagues thought you were inept and kicked you to the curb?
What bill are you going to sponsor?Is your mission in life to continue posting and wishing you could be governor? It must be painful to see deJongh flash his million-dollar smile. That look of success must drive you crazy. deGreat won!You were severely defeated.Bashing Dowe is not going to bring you closer to victory.
We hear the same lyrics each time election comes around:White and Dowe are under federal investigation and will be indicted soon.Neither is shaking in his boots. This is just the oldest political trick.Spread a lie about your political enemies and create doubt in the voters’ mind. You could fool some of the people some of the times, but you can not fool all of them , all the times.
Dowe was not interviewed because the IG did not want to hear the whole truth.The IG investigation is final, but Dowe has spoken and I am not fooled by the ridiculous excuse why he was not interviewed.Dowe has stated clearly that the funds were reprogrammed for other purposes besides road projects, including security enhancements at Mafolie and repair to the cemetery. Review the documents. Facts do not lie. Dowe was sent copies of letters that indicated the funds were to be used on the Governor’s private property. Read the letters and observe who sent them and to whom copies were sent.
All bloggers:Do your own investigation. The documents are available for scrutiny.Who made the decision to spend on Mafolie? Not me nor Dowe. None of us spoke out against it when it was occurring.We both knew how the money was being spent. We were informed by letters. We can read.It is too late now for those who oppose. Talk,blog,write,text,e-mail…too late!deGreat rules!Close the gate, shut your mouth!You can not break it down.IG, take a hike and get lost!
HAHA VERDEL,YOU REALLY NEED HELP.YOU REMIND ME OF A BABY THAT THERE CANDY WAS TAKING AWAY.GO AND GET A LIFE YOU MAKE ME SICK.OH BY THE WAY THE IG WILL TAKE A HIKE,RIGHT UP GOVERNMENT HOUSE TO GET DEwolf IN SHEEP CLOTHING.
“Another Point Of View” is talking on Mario now.
she always gives herself away.
The de jongh administration has been given a chance, and now the voters want to give someone else a chance.
From my assessment, it is obvious that the administration is growing weaker at each turn.
We will soon see how they will try to “flex-up” or “sure-up” themselves at the Agricultural Fair ground, donning their t-shirts.
Remember this though: a lot of us will be at the fair, and although we may not be wearing any “t-shirts”, you can damn sure bet that our support is with either Donastorg or Mapp.
In spite of Mafoligate, SHOW US how bold are you; let us SEE YOU wearing those t-shirts!
I can’t wait for the AG fair. Dejongh and all of the people he paid to wear his T-shirts will be the laughing-stock of the day.
I am looking forward to this!
Notice the big grin of Dowe? That is the smile of a senator laughing all the way to the bank. You are so generous to display the look of success. Who wants to be so endowed?