Apr 25, 2008 3:13 pm US/Pacific
Feds Investigating Johnson's Non-Profit St. HOPE
SACRAMENTO (AP) ―
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Former NBA player and Sacramento mayoral candidate Kevin Johnson.
CBS
A Sacramento-based nonprofit run by former NBA star and mayoral candidate Kevin Johnson is facing scrutiny after a teenager complained that Johnson had touched her inappropriately.
California Volunteers, a state agency, reported the allegation to the federal government because the nonprofit, St. HOPE, has received $807,000 from the federal AmeriCorps program since 2004. The financial ties require the state agency, which administers AmeriCorps money coming to the state, to report such claims, said Marta Bortner, a spokeswoman for the volunteers office.
She said the information went to the AmeriCorps inspector general last week.
It was triggered by a report filed a year ago with Sacramento County Child Protective Services by a teacher at Sacramento High School, a charter school operated by St. HOPE.
The teacher reported that a high school senior told him that Johnson touched her inappropriately and that he had kissed her on the cheek or forehead on several occasions. The student also said Johnson behaved inappropriately with other students and a participant in St. HOPE's Neighborhood Corps program.
AmeriCorps Inspector General William Hillburg, in Washington, D.C., said as a matter of policy he could not confirm whether an investigation was under way. Results will be forwarded to the U.S. attorney's office in Sacramento, he said.
Johnson campaign spokeswoman Christy Setzer said the girl recanted the allegation when she was interviewed by St. HOPE officials and Sacramento police, who determined her claims were without merit.
Bortner said the state volunteer agency was shown the child abuse allegation earlier this month by reporters from The Sacramento Bee. The newspaper's reporters also raised questions about whether federal money had been improperly spent by St. HOPE for political or religious activities.
Bortner said the allegations of financial impropriety were among those forwarded to AmeriCorps' inspector general.
Johnson's campaign issued a statement saying the teacher who filed the child abuse report is a disgruntled former employee who is supporting another candidate for Sacramento mayor.
Sacramento Police spokesman Sgt. Matt Young said investigators spent eight days last year looking into the teenager's claim.
"There was no evidence of any misconduct or criminal behavior by Mr. Johnson," Young said. "I don't know how else to put this: There's nothing there. There's nothing to substantiate the allegation whatsoever."
In a statement, St. HOPE chief financial officer Tom Bratkovich said the nonprofit considers the matter closed. St. HOPE takes harassment claims seriously, he said, "particularly in the case of a minor."
Johnson spent most of his career with the Phoenix Suns, which retired his No. 7 jersey in 2001, a year after he retired. He then returned to Sacramento, his hometown, where he started the nonprofit and became a developer.
He recently decided to challenge Mayor Heather Fargo, who is seeking a third term.
(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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