Monday, December 14, 2009

Milwaukee Child Care Centers Fronting Drug Houses

Kudos to the MJS for this continuing coverage.

More than a dozen Wisconsin child-care centers that reaped millions of dollars in state subsidies have had close ties to drug-dealing operations, including big-time crime bosses, a Journal Sentinel investigation has found.

The newspaper identified 16 child-care centers with recent connections to drug operations, and the number is likely much higher. Those 16 alone have collected more than $8.5 million in public subsidies since 2006.

Records show many of those centers have been used to stash and transport drugs, launder dirty cash and provide fake employment for criminals - at taxpayers’ expense.

In an ongoing investigation that has spanned more than a year, the Journal Sentinel has revealed rampant fraud within Wisconsin Shares, the state’s $350 million child-care subsidy program. The investigation has spurred sweeping reforms by lawmakers and regulators, led to more than 130 child-care centers losing public funding and resulted in criminal charges against several providers.

Three questions…

Why aren’t the government officials in charge of this program uncovering this stuff themselves?

What, if anything, will be done about it?

What, if anything, will be done to make sure it doesn’t happen in the future?

(5) Comments
Posted by Owen at 1705 hrs
Law + Politics + Politics - Wisconsin

  1. Why aren’t the government officials in charge of this program uncovering this stuff themselves?

    Because they don’t have to.  What is their incentive?  It’s not like they won’t keep getting raises, great bennies, and can’t get fired for their complete incompetence.

    What, if anything, will be done about it?

    Not a damned thing. 
    What, if anything, will be done to make sure it doesn’t happen in the future?

    They will probably increase the funding for the program because its “for the children” you know.

    Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on December 14, 2009 at 1806 hrs


  2. We need more special committees, review boards, oversight, and legislation.  rolleyes

    Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on December 14, 2009 at 1815 hrs


  3. We need an ability to demand civil servants be fired for not doing everything in their power to assure public funds they are responsible for disbursing are not received by frauds. Seems like the more people the Government hires the less actual work gets done.

    Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on December 14, 2009 at 1827 hrs


  4. In this case firing isn’t good enough.  Anyone who knew about one of these houses, should not only be fired, but should be brought up on charges.  There has to be several laws about aiding and abetting or endangering children that have to come into play.

    Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on December 14, 2009 at 1948 hrs


  5. This program needs to be scrapped, and if we actually think it is the role of the government to take care of our children, then we need to rebuild this system and have inspections of these properties at regular intervals. We also need to cut down the number of daycare providers who receive this money, there do not need to be three women providing daycare out of rented houses for three kids getting money, and then a pre school on the corner taking in 50 or more kids, in the same neighborhood, getting this money as well.

    Childcare is one of the things that responsible people have to consider when making the decision to have a kid. The idea that government should remove all consequences from a grown up decision, like having a baby, is how we have gotten to this point.

    Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on December 15, 2009 at 0846 hrs


Commenting is not available in this channel entry.