African American commission spent money improperly for years

SEATTLE – A state audit shows Washington’s Commission on African American Affairs diverted public money for about six years to a nonprofit organization that spent much of it in ways considered inappropriate.

The audit, released Thursday, says a former executive director entered an agreement with a former commissioner’s nonprofit to manage all donations to the commission. Those donations are considered public money even when managed by the nonprofit, according to the state auditor’s office. Through the agreement, the nonprofit spent $258,000 in “unsupported or unallowable” ways from December 2006 to February 2012.

The audit identified a number of specific unallowable activities by the nonprofit in that time period, such as spending $22,000 to provide transportation to public events.