D.C. Attorney General Takes Action To Freeze Casa Ruby’s Accounts

Karl Racine, the legal professional normal for Washington, D.C., declared Monday his business office went to court docket in the district to freeze the financial institution accounts of the just lately shuttered LGBTQ+ shelter Casa Ruby, accusing its now lacking founder and former govt director of “misusing” tens of countless numbers of dollars—and perhaps more.

In an unexpected emergency motion submitted Monday in Excellent Court docket, the A.G. exposed social media posts show that missing lady, Ruby Corado, has fled the U.S. and is now in El Salvador. Corado is a transgender Latina who last week verified to a Telemundo reporter that’s in which she is now, according to the Washington Submit, incorporating that she “had finished absolutely nothing erroneous.”

Racine’s place of work disagreed in its court submitting Monday: “The District is nevertheless investigating the total extent of the misuse below, but appreciates that major nonprofit money have been utilized for Corado to travel to, dwell in, and eat in El Salvador, as nicely as to shell out costs on a credit card she controlled that had been never ever reviewed or approved by the organization’s Board.” Though a complete determine wasn’t calculated, Corado allegedly misused at least $60K of Casa Ruby resources for her travels to El Salvador and residing bills there.

“She continued to make withdrawals, indication checks, and direct the payment of cash, even soon after Casa Ruby ceased operations” previous month, according to courtroom documents.

A spokesperson for the District’s prosecutors claims the crisis movement accuses the group of violating the Nonprofit Corporations Act. The motion seeks the speedy freezing of all financial accounts, which includes PayPal.

“Casa Ruby’s functions recommend very clear designs of gross mismanagement and weak oversight of its applications and finances,” claimed Racine in a assertion. “Instead of fulfilling its significant mission of giving transitional housing and assist to LGBTQ+ youth, Casa Ruby diverted hundreds of countless numbers of pounds in District grants and charitable donations from their supposed objective. Their government director appears to have fled the country, withdrawn at minimum tens of countless numbers of bucks of nonprofit resources, and has failed to pay employees and sellers funds they are rightfully owed. Upon listening to of the suspicious situations encompassing its collapse, our business office immediately commenced investigating and is using our wide authority more than District nonprofits to safeguard the organization’s assets and hold its management accountable.”

For a 10 years, Casa Ruby served a crucial require in the District of Columbia—providing transitional housing and connected help to LGBTQ+ youth—using charitable donations from the community and grants from the District government. The grants Corado recognized from 2016 to the current working day totaled extra than $9.6 million, according to District officials.

“Since May well 2022 some workers have not been compensated. As of July 17, 2022, all of Casa Ruby’s courses have finished, and all its shelters have shuttered. This has left significant quantities of confidential and personalized info potentially abandoned or obtainable by individuals unknown—information this sort of as therapy records, reports of domestic violence, and information of therapies sought,” in accordance to the court data.

But Corado is not the only a person in problems with the attorney general.

“The nonprofit’s board ceded complete operational and economic manage of the organization and unsuccessful to implement any oversight to Executive Director Ruby Corado, who to day maintains sole management above Casa Ruby’s bank accounts,” the motion claims. All of the board customers have resigned over the earlier couple of months.

On July 21, number of times right after I noted on Casa Ruby’s closing, a previous staff, Aiyi’nah Ford, posted a Facebook movie about her encounters there, her worries for the clients who have been turned out and have no access to the systems she the moment served lead, and about Corado. “I have survivor’s remorse, about the truth I aided construct this monster,” Ford reported in the movie. She described how Corado employed her as Casa Ruby’s third staff, paying out her $10/hour to immediate systems. Soon after leaving Casa Ruby, she explained she acquired what Corado begun as an LGBTQ+ Center was now staying turned into a shelter, with grant income. “I was like, exactly where? There is not ample house in right here!” Ford described one particular spot as featuring youthful persons folding card tables to use as beds. “This is what she was carrying out with your funds,” she said.

Enjoy Aiyi’nah Ford’s total video by clicking below.