The leader of the Philadelphia chapter of the NAACP Is under fire after three officers questioned whether or not he mismanaged money.
NBC10 obtained documents confirming that Philly NAACP President J. Whyatt Mondesire is now under investigation.
The three NAACP officers, identified by the Philadelphia Daily News as Donald Birts, restaurant owner Sydney Booker and the Rev. Elisha Morris questioned whether money from the NAACP national office was funneled through the Next Generation Community Development Corp, before it reached the Philadelphia chapter. The Daily News reports that the IRS revoked tax-exempt status for Next Generation and that Mondesire was listed as its president at one point.
Gerard Egan, a lawyer representing the three officers, told the Daily News that it’s unclear whether all of the money made it to the Philadelphia NAACP and that it could prompt an investigation into mail fraud, wire fraud or theft if it didn’t.
The officers also called on the NAACP national board to take control of the Philadelphia chapter’s finances and conduct a financial audit going back to 10 years, according to The Daily News.
Mondesire claims the majority of the local board supports his leadership. He also denied that he mismanaged any NAACP money.
“Nothing has been taken from the NAACP and no NAACP money is missing,” Mondesire wrote in a letter to NAACP board members last month.
Mondesire also called the three officers a “gang of backstabbers” and “renegades.”
Mondesire, 64, was a reporter at the Philadelphia Inquirer before becoming the Philadelphia NAACP President. He is also the owner of the Philadelphia Sun.
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