Preet Bharara, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Janice K. Fedarcyk, the Assistant Director-in-Charge of the New York Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation ( “FBI” ), announced that David Griffiths, the Executive Director of a not-for-profit corporation located in the Bronx, New York, surrendered to federal authorities today.
Griffiths was charged in a Complaint with making false statements in connection with a grand jury proceeding, obstructing justice, and mail fraud in connection with an application to obtain a state grant.
According to the Complaint unsealed today in Manhattan federal court:
From December 2008 until January 2011, Griffiths made materially false statements and representations in documents that he provided to the FBI in response to a Southern District of New York grand jury subpoena. The materially false statements and representations were made in purported minutes of meetings of the Board of Directors of the not-for-profit, and related to alleged authorizations Griffiths had obtained from the Board to take certain payments from the not-for-profit. The Complaint further charges that by making those materially false statements and representations and providing such documents to the FBI in response to a grand jury subpoena, Griffiths obstructed and impeded a grand jury proceeding.
From September 2010 through January 2011, Griffiths , on behalf of the not-for-profit, attempted to obtain grant money from a New York State agency under false and fraudulent pretenses. Specifically, Griffiths misrepresented to the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York that the not-forprofit of which he was Executive Director had not been the subject of a criminal investigation for the past five years.
The Complaint charges Griffiths with one count each of making false statements in connection with a federal grand jury proceeding, obstruction of justice, and mail fraud. The false statement charge carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and the obstruction of justice and mail fraud charges each carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.
Griffiths, 65, surrendered this morning and is expected to appear in Manhattan federal court today.
Mr. BHARARA praised the investigative work of FBI.
This case is being prosecuted by the Office’s Public Corruption Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorney Carrie H. Cohen is in charge of the prosecution.
