The Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement (MONSE) scandal and the possible use of false names on contracts for the city’s Safe Streets violence reduction program have left the City of Baltimore dealing with the aftermath. According to a recent interview with FOX Baltimore, Inspector General Isabel Cumming criticized the OIG report for including dubious names like “Susan Smith II,” saying that “it was a little bit obvious” that the people under contract were nonexistent.
The Inspector General’s office noted 26 names in the same report that might not be legitimate, and nine employees had no documentation to prove their presence. The OIG has given law enforcement the case in light of this facts in order to potentially conduct additional research. During this time, Mayor Scott acknowledged that one employee at MONSE had been let go.
Following an investigation into MONSE’s management of employment contracts for Safe Streets, which is managed by the office and run by two contractors, several oddities were discovered. An email submitted by the OIG that stated, “Off the record, neither MONSE nor the audits team will verify the individual, so we really just need a name that doesn’t sound fictional,” further supports the idea that MONSE employees encouraged the use of fictitious employee names to circumvent city policy, as reported in aWYPRreport.
Notwithstanding the error, MONSE has declared that, in accordance with the report, no money was paid to any employees who did not exist. In reaction to the OIG’s conclusions, MONSE Director Stefanie Mavronis emphasized the organization’s dedication “to completing a thorough review of payroll and timesheet records to ensure that grant funds used to pay for salaries and personnel were appropriately used.” According to Mavronis, the agency was ready to take the required steps if financial misconduct was apparent, as reported by WYPR.
To guarantee more stringent oversight of contract proposals, MONSE is refining its grant management procedure. Job titles are now permitted in contracts without exact names being required by policy. To safeguard the city from dangers, Inspector General Cumming suggested checking contracts for inaccurate information and making sure they are carried out on time.
Note: Every piece of content is rigorously reviewed by our team of experienced writers and editors to ensure its accuracy. Our writers use credible sources and adhere to strict fact-checking protocols to verify all claims and data before publication. If an error is identified, we promptly correct it and strive for transparency in all updates, feel free to reach out to us via email. We appreciate your trust and support!
Leave a Reply