CHICAGO (FOX 32 News) -
FIRST ON FOX: How in the world do a handful of people spend $23,000 in cab fares in just over two years?
Acting on a tip, FOX Chicago News and the Better Government Association began investigating the Chicago office of the Minority Business Development Agency, or MBDA. It's part of the U.S. Department of Commerce, and aims to help minority-owned businesses get contracts and grants.
Through a Freedom of Information Act request, we obtained expense reports submitted by the Chicago office from 2009, 2010, and the first part of 2011. Among the questionable spending we found:
-more than $23,000 in cab expenses submitted by six employees. Many of the rides were only a few blocks in downtown Chicago, and one was as short as two blocks.
-$548 in cab expenses by Chicago office director Eric Dobyne during a five day trip to Miami.
-$312 in cab expenses by Dobyne during a two day trip to Detroit.
-five members of the Chicago office booked different plane tickets, hotels, and used different cabs to attend the same conference in Washington , D.C. Altogether they spent more than $2000 on cab rides during that Washington visit.
-certain members of the office regularly expensed their cab rides home.
-trips to China , Germany and Kenya.
-a $419 a night stay at a hotel in Washington , D.C.
Chicago office director Eric Dobyne told he could only answer our questions if he got clearance from officials in Washington, D.C. An MBDA spokesperson refused to make Dobye available.
"I don't think it's in his best interest or ours," she said.
The BGA reached MBDA national director David Hinson by phone.
"We're extremely good stewards of taxpayers' money," he said.
Hinson told us he could not answer specific questions about the Chicago office. Instead, he directed us to the agency's annual performance report, showing 611 jobs created by the MBDA in Illinois from 2009-2011.
Democratic Congressman Mike Quigley said he is surprised to hear of the expenditures. "Clearly someone didn't get the memo that we're trying to save money around here," Quigley said. "Mass transit in Chicago and Washington D.C. is relatively low cost and saves taxpayer dollars."
Congressman Danny Davis, an African-American, said he doesn't know much about the MBDA, and can't recall ever interacting with the agency.
"It's almost like a stealth entity," Davis said.
Told about some of the questionable spending, he said it "seems off the chart" and "bizarre."
He'd like to see some sort of investigation to ensure nobody's mis-using taxpayer money.
A spokesperson for the Commerce Department said they are reviewing the expense reports and are unable to comment on specific expenditures until that review is completed. The spokesperson said employees are usually given a per diem while working on the road and are not allowed to exceed that per diem unless there are unusual circumstances.
