Two Boston non-profits are the subject of action of Attorney General Maura Healey, who issued court orders to investigate them about questionable deals into which they entered with a Roxbury real estate dealer, and possibly others.
The orders, granted by a Superior Court judge last week, subpoenaed documents and testimonies from Veterans Benefits Clearinghouse Development and Roxbury Action Program, both of which provide affordable housing; as well as the banks and property management companies with which they do business.
A series of investigative reports by the Boston Globe revealed that the charities have been linked to numerous property scams in Roxbury and Dorchester involving a family –run business led by Rolando Pam. In one instance, Veterans Benefits was reported to have sold one of its properties valued at $200,000 for as low as $100.
Under the court order, Healey can take testimony from any officer of the said charities, but Harold Raymond, Veterans Benefits president, will be asked to appear for a deposition before investigators.
According to court documents, Healy claimed that the two charities had plans to enter into deals with for profit entities in which they would not receive the fair market value of the asset being transferred.
Veterans Benefits and Roxbury Action have a history of providing housing to low-income groups in Boston’s poorest communities. The past decade, however, saw leadership in these groups decline with many questionable deals involving some of their last holdings, or properties they gave up trying to renovate.
