DuBois United Way provides more details on money delivered to DuBois City building

The following is a statement from the DuBois United Way.

DuBois Area United Way Dedicated to Transparency While Supporting Member Agencies

DuBois, PA, 05/11/2023 – The DuBois Area United Way (“DAUW”) remains focused on maintaining the integrity of the organization and successfully supporting its member agencies. To do so effectively, since learning about the allegations against the former executive director, and upon discovering additional information regarding related matters, the DAUW has – from day one – cooperated with law enforcement to allow a proper and complete investigation to take place. The DAUW is dedicated to providing full and complete transparency regarding all matters, not only to solidify the public trust in the DAUW’s mission, but also to maintain the organization’s integrity within the community.

To provide complete transparency, the DAUW board of directors has decided to release the following information regarding these matters. Below are the highlights of the release:

The DAUW believes, with a reasonable degree of certainty, that the $21,293.30, which is alleged to have been misappropriated from the DAUW’s S&T Bank checking account, is an allegation that lacks merit.
The DAUW does not believe that the $93,000 in cash, which was reported to have been removed from the DAUW office, were funds that belonged to the DAUW.
The DAUW is not a cash-intensive organization, as a majority – if not all – of DAUW donors contribute to the DAUW by paper check or direct deposit.
The DAUW, after learning of the non-DAUW cash maintained at and removed from the DAUW office building, promptly contacted a bonded locksmith to change all locks at the DAUW building.
The DuBois City solicitor represented to DAUW counsel that the non-DAUW cash belonged to the “Community Fund” and was removed from the DAUW office building at the instruction of the city solicitor.
For purposes of clarity, the city solicitor neither represents the DAUW nor speaks for the DAUW in any manner whatsoever.

Full Story: After the arrest of the former executive director on March 20, 2023, the DAUW board of directors convened a special meeting on March 22, 2023, to discuss matters related to the indictment, as it pertains to DAUW funds. After reviewing the criminal complaint and affidavit of probable cause filed against the former executive director, the DAUW has worked with its outside accountant and independent auditor, while also performing internal investigatory measures, to determine the veracity of the allegations against the former executive director – as those allegations pertain to the alleged theft of DAUW funds. As a result of these efforts, and based on documentation identified by and in possession of the DAUW, the DAUW believes, with a reasonable degree of certainty, that the $21,293.30, which is alleged to have been misappropriated from the DAUW’s S&T Bank checking account, lacks merit.

On March 22, 2023, however, for the first time, DAUW representatives became aware of cash that was removed from a safe at the DAUW office building and the existence of non-DAUW lockboxes located within the DAUW building. Until this time, DAUW representatives were unaware of any cash being maintained within the building – let alone any cash being removed from the building. The DAUW is not a cash-intensive organization, as a majority – if not all – of DAUW donors contribute to the DAUW by paper check or direct deposit. The DAUW also utilizes an outside accountant to maintain its accounts and write checks (i.e., no checks are maintained or written by the DAUW at its office building); all DAUW checks, after written by the outside accountant, always have required two signatories. For these reasons, the DAUW does not believe that the $93,000 in cash, which was reported to have been removed from the DAUW office, were funds that belonged to the DAUW. The DAUW, however, cannot state with certainty why non-DAUW cash was ever maintained within the DAUW office building; why it was removed from the DAUW building without the knowledge of the DAUW board; or where the non-DAUW cash originated.

The DAUW board, on March 22, 2023, promptly after learning about the non-DAUW cash that was maintained at and then removed from the DAUW office building, as well as the non-DAUW lockboxes located within the building, made initial contact with the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General (“AG”), to disclose these facts. Since then, the DAUW continues to cooperate with the AG’s office regarding these matters. As an additional measure to protect the DAUW and its integrity, the DAUW promptly contacted a bonded locksmith to change all locks at the DAUW building.

In addition, for the sake of complete transparency, DAUW representatives also became aware on March 22, 2023, that at least one of the non-DAUW lockboxes located within the DAUW building may have been accessed at some time between March 20 and March 22, 2023. The DAUW is unaware, to the extent that one or more of the lockboxes were indeed accessed, who accessed them. This information, together with all other relevant information in the possession of the DAUW regarding these matters, was promptly disclosed and turned over to the AG’s office.

The DAUW reconvened for another special meeting on March 28, 2023, to further discuss, among other things, the status of these matters and DAUW’s continued cooperation with law enforcement. After the conclusion of this meeting, during the evening hours of March 28, 2023, counsel for the DAUW, C.J. Zwick of Zwick & Zwick LLP, was contacted by the DuBois City solicitor regarding the cash that was removed from the DAUW building. The city solicitor, via voicemail left with DAUW’s counsel, indicated that the non-DAUW cash belonged to the “Community Fund,” and that, at the instruction of the city solicitor, the cash was removed from the DAUW building and brought into her hands for purposes of delivering it to a forensic accountant. The DAUW remains unaware of the exact timing of when the non-DAUW cash was removed from the DAUW building. For purposes of clarity, the city solicitor neither represents the DAUW nor speaks for the DAUW in any manner whatsoever.

The DAUW’s current executive director, Neil Hanes, stated, “we want to assure the DuBois community and surrounding communities that the DuBois Area United Way is dedicated to transparency regarding these issues.” Hanes continued, “as I have said since I began with the DuBois Area United Way, under my leadership, the important mission of our organization, to support member agencies and positively impact local community members, will remain the foundation of who we are, what we do, and why we do it.”