The nonprofit group that offered remedy to Brooklyn subway taking pictures suspect Frank James has been paying executives excessive salaries whereas working at a deficit.
Matthew McDermott for NY Put up
The Bronx nonprofit which offered group remedy for accused subway shooter Frank James pays massive bucks to its prime execs whereas working an enormous deficit — prompting critics to name for better oversight.
James, who terrorized New Yorkers by allegedly opening hearth on a rush hour N Practice earlier this month, attended group remedy at Argus Group Inc. at 760 East one hundred and sixtieth Road within the months earlier than the April 12 taking pictures, which injured 29 folks.
The group has $84.3 million value of contracts with the state and raked in $35.5 million from all sources throughout its 2020 fiscal 12 months — however paid out $24.2 million in salaries and ended up working a $1.5 million working deficit, in response to its audited monetary statements.
Argus shelled out greater than $450,000 to longtime CEO Richard Weiss in 2019, and greater than $200,000 to 5 different executives, in response to its most up-to-date tax submitting.
One other 4 Argus honchos rake in additional than $125,000, the paperwork present.
Councilman Robert Holden (D-Queens), who has launched a invoice which might require the town to report on the efficiency of metropolis homeless shelters, mentioned he wasn’t shocked by the group’s fats salaries.
“It’s type of par for the course with numerous the so-called not-for-profits. You'll suppose the CEO or the management would take a wage reduce if the not-for-profit is within the purple,” he mentioned.
Legal professional Maria Danzilo, a Democrat working for state Senate in Higher Manhattan, was shocked by the group’s bills.
“What are they doing for all that cash … There was insufficient oversight of our social service suppliers … You want oversight of those entities. They've excessive payrolls and there aren't any metrics to ensure they're doing their jobs,” she mentioned.
James, who mentioned he had a identified psychological sickness, attended group remedy periods at Argus, a former participant advised The Put up. It isn’t clear why he stopped, and Argus didn’t return messages.
“The Frank James factor, clearly it’s not a precise science with psychological well being.. however there needs to be a strategy to gauge their efficiency,” Holden mentioned.
The accused shooter ranted concerning the metropolis’s psychological well being companies in a whole lot of movies he posted on social media, at one level declaring, “Mr. Mayor, I’m a sufferer of your psychological well being program.”
Argus gives drug, HIV and behavioral well being remedy, in addition to clear needles, to homeless and different troubled people. It affords dozens of packages together with state-mandated screening of these arrested for drunk driving and operates two homeless shelters in Harlem.
The group’s foremost headquarters has additionally seen a bunch of 911 calls within the final 16 months: 52 requires the Bronx location in 2021 and 25 such calls up to now this 12 months, the NYPD mentioned.
Final 12 months 29 of these emergency calls have been requests for an ambulance, 9 crimes together with larceny, and one disorderly group. In 2022, 14 of the calls have been for ambulances and 6 for crimes together with theft and larceny, plus three burglaries of a building web site and parked automobile.
Whereas Argus pays its bosses nicely the largesse apparently doesn’t lengthen to its staff.
“That is the worst group you'll be able to work for. They actually simply pay the executives all the cash and crumbs for everybody else,” one former worker griped on job web site Certainly.
“This firm could be very low-cost. Salaries are horrible,” a present worker chimed in on job reviewer Glassdoor.
Shoppers too complained concerning the high quality of service on-line, with one Google Maps reviewing saying employees have been “unprofessional and really disrespectful.”
“This place needs to be shut down. All they care about is$$$$$$$$,” one other wrote.
In 2018, when Argus was trying to open a brand new methadone clinic in Harlem, locals complained, in response to Gothamist.
“This can be a cross between The Strolling Useless, The Wire, and Mardi Gras,” one Harlemite advised the outlet, of drug clinics close by. “We’ve mentioned to the police we don’t look after them to be arrested, we’re not on the lookout for them to be thrown in jail … What we actually simply would love them to do is go away.”
The group reported $12.7 million in federal state, and native grants, plus one other $13.1 million from Medicaid, meals stamps and Supplemental Safety Revenue, or SSI, throughout its 2020 fiscal 12 months, the newest accessible.
| Identify | Title | Argus pay | Different pay | Whole |
| Richard Weiss | CEO | $384,832 | $65,374 | $450,206 |
| James Schiller | COO | $241,373 | $38,902 | $280,275 |
| Matthew Armandi | CFO | $255,848 | $12,432 | $268,280 |
| Dan Lowy | SVP | $190,302 | $26,966 | $217,268 |
| Cynthia De la Rosa | SVP | $187,088 | $29,693 | $216,781 |
It’s additionally supported by the New York Instances Firm Basis, the JP Morgan Chase Basis, and several other rich households’ non-public foundations, in response to its annual report.
Considered one of Argus’ associates, BOOM!Well being, offered needles which junkies use to shoot up within the Bronx’s Patterson Playground, which The Put up revealed final has probably the most free needles of any park within the borough.
Charity watchdog Charity Navigator mentioned the corporate spends 13.4 p.c of its bills on administration, and 86.6 p.c on companies.
“Given the dimensions of the group, I don't see something alarming relating to government compensation for this group,” mentioned Charity Navigator’s Kevin Doyle, who added the watchdog considers Argus’ expense quantity to be “cheap.”
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