"Some of you may remember that my agency, now called Community Action Lehigh Valley, busted a mortgage fraud conspiracy that preyed on low-income Hispanics in downtown Allentown. We put a few guys in jail."The targets of Jennings' campaign at the time supposedly participated in what was called predatory lending. Certain mortgage companies were giving mortgages to people with poor credit at a higher rate. I believe that it remains standard procedure for car loans and credit cards. Our enlightened, like Jennings, now focus on affordable housing, making low-income permanent tenants.
Jennings take great pride in jailing those mortgage brokers. One of the people he sent to jail was married to a Hispanic woman, and was well appreciated for his work at a local mission. Meanwhile, Jennings continues to campaign for Ed Pawlowski's release, whose criminal behavior cost every Allentown taxpayer more money on every contract he rigged during his reign.
I'm convinced, from reading your blog and others, that this guy is one of the biggest crooks in the Lehigh Valley.
ReplyDeleteIt would not be a stretch to say that Pat B. was regularly saving the occasional life as he assisted in rebuilding others in his work helping people deal with acute substance abuse. That job was low wage, low status, and high pressure.
ReplyDeleteIn the Morning Call Jennings called the man a “scum bag”.
Actually two men were sentenced to jail, and while the organization that employed Alan Jennings at the time - he is no longer working there - played a role in that prosecution and conviction, neither Jennings, nor the organization that he refers to as his, was responsible for putting people in jail. One is left to wonder why Mr. Jennings is no longer working for his old employer as well as the reason for the name change of the organization.
ReplyDeleteWhoever is currently the director certainly is maintaining a considerably lower public profile, for better or worse, an interesting shift in direction.
anon@1:41: I have no reason to think of Jennings as dishonest, but he is certainly judgmental.
ReplyDeleteanon@2:37: In my mind, Pawlowski hurt many more people than the mortgage broker. How Jennings could prosecute one and defend the other is the basis for this post.
anon@4:21: Jennings retired because of a health issue. The organization, IMO, always made poverty a business.
Those of us following the issue of government and NGO waste and fraud closely now recognize how deep a problem that was, and still is. It spread down from Federal to Local non-profits. The USAID audit is just the tip of the iceberg.
ReplyDeleteIt seems, those who now object and scream the loudest, from Federal to Local, were most likely the one’s with their hands in OUR cookie jar.