Topline: A Chicago center for abused foster children was shut down last year following allegations of sexual assault. A new Chicago Sun-Times investigation revealed the center has actually been a hotbed for alleged misconduct since 2019, while the nonprofit in charge received $50 million from Illinois amid widespread “oversight failures.”
Key facts: State officials have “overlooked” 3,850 allegations of violent attacks among the foster children at Aunt Martha’s Integrated Care Center, according to the Sun-Times. Residents have also alleged that employees used sexual language with the foster children, slept on the job, and had prior convictions for armed robbery.
In May 2023, state officials finally began to watch the site 24 hours a day. It was shut down within weeks. That was nine months after the first allegation of sexual assault against a child and years after the first allegations of violence.
One worker, Antonio Hopkins, was charged with four counts of aggravated sexual assault for alleged abuse of a 13-year-old girl, herself a previous victim of sex trafficking, the Sun-Times reported.
Hopkins was hired even with a prior conviction for robbing an armored truck and accusations of sexual misconduct at his previous job.
Other staffers told the Sun-Times that multiple girls living at the center were sex trafficked while out on a jog, though the state said it was unaware of that.
Background: Aunt Martha’s Health and Wellness, the nonprofit running the care center, has received $82 million in taxpayer money for various projects around Illinois since 2017, according to data at OpenTheBooks.com.
The contract was administered through the state Department of Children and Family Services, where officials made up to $322,000 last year, OpenTheBooks.com found.
Search all federal, state and local government salaries and vendor spending with the AI search bot, Benjamin, at OpenTheBooks.com.
Summary: Oversight of taxpayer spending is always important, but there’s no excuse for negligence when children’s safety is at stake.
The #WasteOfTheDay is brought to you by the forensic auditors at OpenTheBooks.com
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