In Haiti, Little Can Be Found of a Hip-Hop Artist’s Charity

[Resident Geordie]

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — In a new memoir, Wyclef Jean, the Haitian-born hip-hop celebrity, claims he endured a “crucifixion” after the Jan. 12, 2010, earthquake when he faced questions about his charity’s financial record and ability to handle what eventually amounted to $16 million in donations.

Portraying himself as persecuted like Jesus and Martin Luther King Jr., Mr. Jean, 40, writes with indignation about insinuations that he had used his charity, Yéle, for personal gain. He says he did not need to — “I have a watch collection worth $500,000”— and that doubters will someday understand “Yéle is Haiti’s greatest asset and ally.”

But on his book tour for “Purpose: An Immigrant’s Story,” Mr. Jean, who made an aborted bid for the presidency of Haiti after the earthquake, neglects to mention two key facts: a continuing New York attorney general’s investigation has already found financial improprieties at Yéle, and the charity effectively went out of business last month, leaving a trail of debts, unfinished projects and broken promises.

“If I had depended on Yéle,” said Diaoly Estimé, whose orphanage features a wall painting of Mr. Jean and his wife, “these kids would all be dead by now.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/12/w...-as-wyclef-jean-charity-spends-much.html?_r=0

 

[Brown_Pride]

damn, if this turns out to be that he stole that money then...damn. That bolded is straight ether too.

 

[newworldafro]

come on Wyclef........hope that shyt ain't true...................the charity is in debt and they raised 16 million....what the fuuck???

I love this song.....say it ain't so bro.....

Wyclef Jean - "Yele"

 

[mbewane]

 

[zerozero]

Sean Penn won

 

[the cac mamba]

:smugclef:

 

[zerozero]

man, even more than just corruption, it looks like these dudes were straight incompetent

In 2010, Yéle spent $9 million and half went to travel, to salaries and consultants’ fees and to expenses related to their offices and warehouse. In contrast, another celebrity charity, Sean Penn’s J/P Haitian Relief Organization, spent $13 million with only 10 percent going to those costs.

Though Mr. Penn’s group spent $43,000 on office-related expenses, Yéle spent $1.4 million, including $375,000 for “landscaping” and $37,000 for rent to Mr. Jean’s Manhattan recording studio. Yéle spent $470,440 on its own food and beverages.

Some of Yéle’s programming money went to projects that never came to fruition: temporary homes for which it prepaid $93,000; a medical center to have been housed in geodesic domes for which it paid $146,000; the revitalization of a plaza in the Cité Soleil slum, where supposed improvements that cost $230,000 are nowhere to be seen.

There were questionable contracts, too: Mr. Jean’s brother-in-law, Eric Warnel Pierre, collected about $630,000 for three projects including the medical center and the plaza — what Yéle’s tax forms called “the rebuilding of Haiti.” Mr. Pierre did not respond to messages left for him.

And a Miami company called Amisphere Farm Labor, incorporated in 2008 and dissolved in 2009, received $1 million in 2010 to provide hot meals to displaced Haitians. Yet a Haitian caterer has sued Yéle for $430,000 in nonpayment for these very same meals, thus far succeeding only in getting the charity’s Haitian bank account frozen.

 

[Lil' Kartwheel]

Sean Penn won

Meanwhile in Hollywood...

 

[Brown_Pride]

not looking good. I wonder if this is one of those cases of " i trusted dude to be doing the work while I collected the funds..."

Like if Jean didn't maybe know where the money was going because he was more "the face" of the business? ...maybe... if not, in all honesty and sincerity

Fuk Wyclef Jean

 

[newworldafro]

not looking good. I wonder if this is one of those cases of " i trusted dude to be doing the work while I collected the funds..."

Like if Jean didn't maybe know where the money was going because he was more "the face" of the business? ...maybe... if not, in all honesty and sincerity

Fuk Wyclef Jean

That's true too... I mean for most of his career he has probably had relatively competent accounts to deal with his financial situation.....and its possible some of this goes back to him trusting "financial adivsors" for this charity...

I don't know..........but I be damn....if 16 million can enter into your organization and then you go into debt 2 years later?? .....its not like Haiti's currency is strong or anything....he could have found a legit way to flip some of that and come up with more money for the charity........ sad..... He could have talked to 50 about some shiiit...

 

[teacher]