ACORN and its affiliates received $200,000 in Justice Department grants between 2002 and 2009, according a report issued today by the department’s Inspector General.

No DOJ grants went directly to ACORN, but a handful of grants were awarded either to ACORN affiliates or to other organizations that sub-contracted with ACORN.

The report, requested by House Judiciary Committee ranking member Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas), also found a few instances of ACORN mismanagement of federally contracted work.

For example, ACORN received a $20,000 sub-contract to do community outreach on crime prevention in New York. The organization that contracted with ACORN has not released the funds yet, claimimg that ACORN submitted reimbursements “outside the scope of the agreement,” including “fringe benefits” for the salaried staffer working on the project.

In another instance the city of Phoenix contracted with the “ACORN Institute” to receive about $9,000 to canvass citizens and raise awareness about a tax credit and a tax assistance program. The city hasn’t paid ACORN yet due to “poor reporting by the ACORN Institute regarding another project not related to DOJ grant funds.” Phoenix is trying to terminate the contract with ACORN.

The DOJ did not audit the funds that went to ACORN or its affiliates, but did conduct an audit of one of the organizations that contracted with an ACORN affiliate. That audit concluded that the organization “did not properly manage the grant and did not adequately monitor some of its 36 sub-grantees, including the [American Institute of Social Justice],” an ACORN affiliate.

Smith seized on the report to call for a broader review of ACORN activities.

“Given the willingness of some ACORN employees to ignore the law, it comes as no surprise that the IG’s report found several instances in which ACORN and its affiliates failed to adhere to proper procedures,” Smith said in a statement.

Read the whole thing here.

Yesterday, Andrew Breitbart urged Attorney General Eric Holder to open an investigation of ACORN. An investigation by the Justice Department is even more pressing with this latest revelation. The potential misuse of funds by ACORN alone should be enough to warrant an investigation. As the need for an investigation builds, it will be interesting to see the new ways Holder and the Obama Administration avoid accountability for ACORN.

Full DOJ Report below:

acornreport –

To most people, the timing and the amount of the grant would seem off base, but when you take into account the fact that DHS awarded ACORN–an organization with no clear expertise in fire safety and prevention–a fire prevention and safety grant, it’s just plain offensive.

With fire departments all over Louisiana – and the rest of the country – struggling to make ends meet and get the equipment and training they need to protect their local communities, the idea of a million dollar grant going to ACORN is unsettling, to say the least. 

I’ve had grave reservations about ACORN for some time, and over the past year we’ve seen numerous examples of serious allegations of wrongdoing on the part of this organization and its employees across the country.  I simply can’t see the logic behind diverting much needed funding from worthy fire departments to this organization.

So last week, I wrote a letter to Secretary of Homeland Security, Janet Napolitano requesting that she rescind this grant from ACORN.  As of today, the Secretary has not responded to my request.  This site will post a copy of the letter for you to read and see for yourself.

Rest assured, I’ll keep working to help prevent further ACORN schemes to procure federal money.

Here’s some background on ACORN Institute:

An affiliate of ACORN, the ACORN Institute, has been a participant in the IRS tax assistance program. The institute prides itself as a one-stop shopping service for low-income households seeking free benefits. In addition to tax preparation, it also provides information on how to secure government aid and to prevent mortgage foreclosure. Among the ACORN Institute’s partners are Citigroup, H&R Block and the Marguerite Casey Foundation. If even many Democrats in Congress are embarrassed by their history of support for ACORN, surely these entities can be as well.

Unclear what any of that has to do with “fire prevention.” According to FEMA, anyone with questions about the grants is urged to contact them at 1-866-274-0960, or via email at firegrants@dhs.gov.