Attorney General Announces Guilty Plea in Non-Profit Embezzlement Scheme

Yesterday, state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman announced that Clement Gardner has pleaded guilty to embezzling $560,000 from two taxpayer-funded Bronx charities over an eight-year period. He faces two to six years in prison.

Gardner served as fiscal officer for two related Bronx not-for-profit corporations, Christian Community Benevolent Association, Inc. (CCBA) and Christian Community in Action (CCIA). The thefts occurred between 2004 and 2012, as Gardner wrote numerous checks to himself from the non-profits’ bank accounts and then falsified business records to conceal his crimes.

Gardner was an aide to State Senator Ruben Diaz, but Senator Diaz has not been charged with any wrongdoing.

Read my prior post on this matter.