ND Nonprofit Used Federal Disaster Planning Money for Unallowable Items

The Grand Forks Herald reports that nearly a quarterof the federal disaster planning money spent by the North Dakota nonprofit,the North Dakota EMS Association, was used for “unallowable orquestionable” items, including alcohol, a state official said.  The NorthDakota EMS association, which represents about 1,800 ambulance andemergency workers, also spent money it should not have on lobbying, cellphones, meals, and some salaries and bonuses, an internal association audit andother records obtained by The Associated Press show.

Tim Wiedrich, chief of the North Dakota Health Department’s emergencypreparedness and response section, said Wednesday that the “unallowable orquestionable” items made up nearly $200,000 of the roughly $810,000 theBismarck-based group received between 2004 and last year to help produce a planto fight bioterrorism and other mass disasters.  

Mark Weber, the association’s president, said the group will repay themoney, but he defended its motives.  “I think we felt we spent money forthe right reasons and that we were spending that money appropriately,” Webersaid. “We have nothing to hide. Every dime we spent was to promote EMS.” But, Weber admitted that some grant money was used for dinner and drinks. How the group will pay the money back is unclear.  It receives lessthan $200,000 annually from its other funding sources, including membership,testing, and conferences.   The grant allowed for the bulk of theexecutive director’s salary to be paid from the federal funds, but Wiedrichsaid documentation is lacking to support the salary charged to the grant.Records show $217,192 from the grant was given to the group’s executivedirector, which included salary, health insurance, and a bonus. Wiedrich saidan investigation is ongoing, and the grant has expired.  Billings of about$38,500 from the group have been denied, and state officials are working withthe federal agency and the EMS Association to figure out exactly how much willhave to be repaid, he said.

Bismarck police have asked to review the case, Wiedrich said. He didnot know if criminal charges would be filed. Richard Riha, the Burleigh Countystate’s attorney, said police are still investigating.

SS