City officials raided a charity linked to Washington Heights City Councilman Miguel Martinez on Thursday, part of a crackdown on corruption in the non-profit sector, the New York Times reported.
The Upper Manhattan Council Assisting Neighbors, founded in 1998, targets small businesses and under-served parts of the Latino community in Washington Heights, Inwood and Marble Hill.
Until 2006, the charity did not receive significant public funds, according to the Times. Then the council member's sister joined its board in an unpaid position.
The charity would go on to receive $1.4 million for the City Council for the following three years, according to the Times.
Council officials said that it had withdrawn $528,000 that had been earmarked for the charity but did not elaborate.
