By Darrell Smith
Dual inquiries by national NAACP and Sacramento County officials following the suspected mismanagement of a county pandemic-era meals program by Greater Sacramento NAACP branch leaders are raising questions about whether county officials missed signs of potential self-dealing.
National NAACP officials are performing a forensic audit of its Greater Sacramento branch following allegations of financial misdeeds by chapter leaders; while county Department of Human Assistance officials have asked to see branch financial records related to the Dine-In 2 program which ended last June.
In a statement, national NAACP officials added that the organization “considers any allegations of financial impropriety to be of utmost importance.” Suspended Greater Sacramento NAACP branch president Betty Williams and education chair Salena Pryor appear to have used their staffing and consulting firms to operate the Dine-In 2 program and paid themselves with county funds, records obtained by The Sacramento Bee show.
A forensic audit examines financial records for evidence of conflicts of interest or other malfeasance which can later be used in court or other legal proceedings. It is not known whether national NAACP officials plan to seek legal action.
Read more: Sacramento Bee