Crime
Former Bush aide charged with stealing federal grant
By: Scott McCabe
Examiner Staff Writer
November 25, 2008
A former aide to President Bush was charged with stealing U.S. taxpayer money intended for the promotion of democratic changes in Cuba.
In March, Felipe Sixto resigned from his position as special assistant to the president on intergovernmental affairs as the Justice Department began to investigate allegations that he misused federal grant money intended for his former employer, the Center for a Free Cuba.
Also in March, the U.S. Agency for International Development officials reportedly suspended a $2.3 million grant to the Center for a Free Cuba after the group disclosed that Sixto allegedly had used more than $500,000 in grants for illegitimate purposes.
On Thursday, Sixto was charged in federal court with stealing thousands of dollars from the nonprofit agency. The alleged theft occurred from March 2005 to January 2008, while Sixto, a 29-year-old graduate of American University, worked at the Center for a Free Cuba and after he went to work for the White House in July 2007, court documents said. Sixto was charged via criminal information, which typically signals that a plea agreement is in the works.
In March, Felipe Sixto resigned from his position as special assistant to the president on intergovernmental affairs as the Justice Department began to investigate allegations that he misused federal grant money intended for his former employer, the Center for a Free Cuba.
Also in March, the U.S. Agency for International Development officials reportedly suspended a $2.3 million grant to the Center for a Free Cuba after the group disclosed that Sixto allegedly had used more than $500,000 in grants for illegitimate purposes.
On Thursday, Sixto was charged in federal court with stealing thousands of dollars from the nonprofit agency. The alleged theft occurred from March 2005 to January 2008, while Sixto, a 29-year-old graduate of American University, worked at the Center for a Free Cuba and after he went to work for the White House in July 2007, court documents said. Sixto was charged via criminal information, which typically signals that a plea agreement is in the works.
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