The former chief of staff at a Rochester nonprofit agency has pleaded guilty to federal wire fraud charges. She'll be sentenced in December.
Federal prosecutors say Shirley Boone of Rochester pleaded guilty in a Rochester courtroom today (Wed). She was a top official of NEAD (North East Area Development), the Rochester community development organization working to stabilize neighborhoods on the Northeast Side. It's funded mainly by grants, which were Boone's chief responsibility.
Prosecutors say she arranged to pay Freedom Community Enterprises, a subsidiary of NEAD, $45,000. Then she filed paperwork to make it appear Freedom Community had replaced the roof at NEAD's offices. Freedom Community did not do any such work. NEAD falsely received a $45,000 grant from the state for the non-existent project. The truth was found by an FBI investigation.