PHA Disputes Part Of Luggage Expose
There is another controversy involving the Philadelphia Housing Authority, but PHA officials dispute some facts in a Philadelphia Daily News report.
The controversy is over some very expensive luggage given to high ranking officials at the PHA by fired executive director Carl Greene.
The Daily News says Greene gave out almost $16,000 in luxury bags as gifts to his staff last year.
While the Daily News story claims the money came from federal funds, PHA officials say it was not part of the $345 million in federal funds it gets each year and it was not taxpayer money.
The 20 Tumi townhouse duffel bags normally cost around $1,000 bucks a piece, but apparently Greene got a bargain on the leather trimmed bags for around $800.
The Daily News says they were purchased at Nordstrom's .
Greene allegedly kept one for himself and gave the others to staffers.
This has raised the eyebrows of HUD investigators already looking at the PHA's spending practices under Greene, along with a federal grand jury and forensic auditors.
Fox 29 spoke today to former federal prosecutor Fred Tecce about this very expensive perk.
"To use money that should be used to put the needy and the homeless into homes and use it to give out $15,000 worth of bags, that's outrageous," he said. "The only thing that would be worse would be if I found out there was money in the bags or building supplies that have been missing from the Home Depot."
The PHA insists this was not federal money, beyond that they refused comment except to say that the PHA is not making these types of expenditures anymore.
The PHA and this particular purchase of luxury bags also got some attention on capitol hill in the person of Republican Sen. Charles Grassley.
Grassley is a ranking member of the Senate finance committee and he has been monitoring the PHA for months,.
He put out a statement today blasting this purchase, and he called the incident a "terrible example of abuse by the former executive director. He said someone needs to be held accountable for what he called "outrageous spending."
Carl Greene's attorney did not return our phone call for comment.