FBI Raids Contractor in Disabilities Program
The National Center for Employment of the Disabled in El Paso has previously been cited for hiring less than 8% disabled in a program where 75% of the workforce is supposed to be disabled.
The El Paso Times tells us that 65 agents took part in the raid, including the Federal Bureau of
Investigation, the Internal Revenue Service's Criminal Investigative
Division, the General Services Administration and the U.S. Army
Criminal Investigative Command-Major Fraud Unit
During the raid, work continued at the main plant where more than 3,000 workers assemble garments.
Until recently, NCED was one of the major contractors in the Javits Wagner O'Day program, receiving more than $275 million in government contracts targeted for employment of the disabled. The firm has been under investigation by JWOD oversight agencies, the Committee for Purchase from People who are Blind or Severely Disabled and NISH (EIN 52-1007153 Form 990).
WMN discussed the story that brought us to this point a couple of months ago ("Lax Oversight in Disabilities Program Yields Major Abuses", March 10). One interesting side note is that the newspaper that broke the story is in Oregon, who did a major feature on JWOD contractor abuses. NCED is a major employer in El Paso, and when president Bob Jones stepped down in March, a former mayor of El Paso, Joe Wardy, took his place.
In addition to local sources, Bloomberg and the Wall Street Journal have picked up this story, which may yet prove to be one of the bigger charity scandals of 2006.
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