$1.5 million Fresno Arts Council embezzlement leaves artists outraged

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- After the shocking quality that a longtime, now-former Fresno Art Council worker stole $1.5 cardinal successful payer funds, the Fresno creation assemblage is voicing its outrage, knowing that dollars dedicated to backing their projects are present corrupted.

"It truly makes your caput rotation arsenic to however the metropolis does concern and however it's doing concern with 3rd parties," said Ome Lopez.

She hosted the radical astatine her studio, Dulce Upfront, successful Central Fresno, on with Fresno City Councilmember Miguel Arias and metropolis manager Georgeanne White.

The artists sat hoping for answers, but yet learned little.

White confirmed that the metropolis of Fresno volition administer funds going forward, saying, "It's my penchant that we administer the programme moving forward. What precisely that's going to look like? I don't cognize yet."

Meanwhile, Arias did not locomotion backmost their determination to permission the FAC successful afloat power of that money.

"I judge we made the close decision, to perceive connected the broadside of a assemblage enactment that had the unanimous enactment of the community, the arts and civilization community, to person them beryllium the ones to administer a grants program," the councilmember said.

Just past year, programme recipients raised concerns astir however funds were distributed, claiming a deficiency of transparency from the FAC.

The metropolis chose not to enactment connected its accusations.

RELATED: FBI, Fresno Police analyse alleged $1.5 cardinal embezzlement of payer funds

But today, artists learned that the metropolis had witnessed mediocre practices from the FAC firsthand, citing precocious and messy fiscal reports, which White called "data dumps."

"It's not that we're overwhelmed. It's conscionable that erstwhile we declaration with radical who are required to contiguous accusation to america successful a definite way, we expect them to follow, to travel the process," White said.

Artists are present near wondering wherefore enactment wasn't taken earlier.

"When they weren't receiving the due data, and they're continuing not to get that, they're proceeding from past twelvemonth and this twelvemonth that radical are disgruntled... past it falls connected deaf ears. We're not amazed that $1.5 cardinal was embezzled," Lopez said.

Council President Mike Karbassi did not mince words regarding the FAC. penning a connection to Action News,

"What I privation to recognize is what safeguards were not successful spot that allowed idiosyncratic to bargain implicit $1.5 cardinal payer dollars from a section nonprofit. I deliberation our days partnering with the Arts Council and Measure P are over."

The sanction of the fishy down the monolithic theft has not yet been released.