News & Notes from NYC Comptroller John C. Liu

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NYC COMPTROLLER JOHN C. LIU ON CITYTIME

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Comptroller John C. Liu issued the following statement today:

“My office’s review of the CityTime project, which defrauded taxpayers of millions of dollars, has not interfered with the ongoing criminal investigation, nor have we been informed that it has. We applaud the U.S. Attorney for charging seven people and recovering $28 million to date. We are committed to working cooperatively with all law enforcement agencies.”

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COMPTROLLER LIU STATEMENT ON EDC LIVING WAGE STUDY

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City Comptroller John C. Liu stated the following in response to questions about a recently completed study commissioned by the NYCEDC, “The Economic Impacts on New York City of Proposed Living Wage Mandate.”

“The EDC’s claim that a living wage kills jobs shows just how distorted the agency’s operations have become. The proposed living wage would be a requirement on new projects that are heavily subsidized by taxpayers. It may curtail the number of new minimum wage jobs, with the hope that these new jobs would then pay a decent wage. The claim of job losses is rhetoric at its worst.

New York City Comptroller John C. Liu Statement on Theft Charges Against DOE Consultant

New York City Comptroller John C. Liu stated the following in response to questions about today's announcement by the Office of the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York levying charges against a private DOE consultant for stealing $3.6 million:

“Federal charges once again, that a consultant has stolen millions from the taxpayers are infuriating enough. Even more disconcerting, however, are indications that corporations with billions of dollars in City business have aided and abetted and profited from the scam. As with the CityTime scandal, oversight of subcontracting is acutely needed right now.”

Comptroller Liu has directed a review of contracts with vendors implicated by Special Commissioner of Investigation for the New York City School District, Richard Condon. The Comptroller’s Office is currently auditing a number of technology projects also involving some of the same vendors, including ARIS, Future Technology Associates, iZone, and E911.