Following an inquiry by the New York Attorney General’s office that revealed evidence of financial misconduct, former leaders of the Lutheran All Faiths Cemetery in Queens were ordered to repay nearly $1.6 million. Attorney General Letitia James announced on her official website that the money recovered from former leaders, such as Daniel Austin Sr. and Anthony Mordente, is being used to maintain and restore the historic cemetery, which is currently under new management. The money is meant to compensate for the time that Austin Sr., as president, and Mordente, in different leadership positions, allegedly misappropriated the nonprofit cemetery’s cash.
Over half a million New Yorkers have found their final resting place in the cemetery, which has been there for almost 150 years. The cemetery’s state drastically deteriorated under Austin Sr.’s leadership, which started in 1990, with allegations of broken stones and run-down infrastructure. Attorney General James claims on the government website that “no one deserves to have their final resting place desecrated by mismanagement and greed.” She said that Austin and Mordente’s conduct were dishonoring to the families who trusted the cemetery with their loved ones’ remains as well as to the deceased.
After suing seven long-serving board members in September 2019, Attorney General James’ office discovered that Austin and Mordente had taken a sizable amount under the pretense of paying Austin, Sr. a retirement benefit in addition to his ongoing compensation as a consultant. Austin, Sr.’s son and the president’s successor, Daniel Austin, Jr., similarly embezzled money for bonuses, which his father reimbursed him for without paying interest or admitting his mistake. During this time of financial exploitation, visitors had to deal with the growing state of deterioration that their loved ones’ graves had descended into.
The former leaders will return sizeable sums as part of the settlement, with Austin, Sr. giving up almost a million dollars and Mordente donating $585,000. Additionally, both men have been permanently forbidden from holding a position in financial management in the nonprofit sector in New York. The approximately $1.672 million in restored cash, which also includes extra compensation money from other directors involved in the action, will all be directly reinvested in the cemetery’s maintenance. The cemetery’s dilapidated grounds are a sobering reminder of the harm done by people tasked with maintaining such a lasting communal icon.
A committed team from the New York Attorney General’s office’s Charities Bureau worked on the case, which exposed the long-standing misappropriation of charity assets for private benefit. This restoration is an important step in making amends for past wrongs and paying tribute to the innumerable New Yorkers who were buried there, as well as guaranteeing the cemetery’s continued existence for future generations.
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